Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation — 2005-03-04

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 262,000 in February, with job gains occurring across a range of industries. The unemployment rate returned to 5.4 percent in February after dipping to 5.2 percent in January. Employment in professional and business services increased by 81,000 in February. Within this sector, temporary help services added 30,000 jobs over the month, following 3 months in which employment was little changed. Since its most recent low in April 2003, employment in this industry has grown by 374,000. Elsewhere among professional and business services industries in February, employment was up in architectural and engineering services and in services to buildings and dwellings. Several other industries in the service-providing sector contributed to the overall employment gain in February. The health care industry continued to expand, adding 23,000 jobs.