Payrolls In U.S. Fell 36,000; Unemployment at 9.7%

By: TradingEconomics.com, Bloomberg

The jobless rate in the U.S. held at 9.7 percent in February and employment declined less than forecast, even as severe winter weather forced some employers to temporarily close.

Payrolls dropped 36,000 last month after a revised 26,000 decrease in January, figures from the Labor Department in Washington showed. Employment fell in construction and increased at temporary-help services.

Blizzards during the week that the government surveys businesses and households on jobs set seasonal snowfall records in cities including Washington and Philadelphia, prompting many Americans to stay home. The economic expansion that began last year has yet to generate sustained gains in employment, raising the risk that the recovery will cool as households keep a lid on spending.

About 290,000 people on average say bad weather has prevented them from getting to work, according to February figures going back three decades.

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