Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2017-03-10

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 235,000 in February, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.7 percent. Job gains occurred in construction, private educational services, manufacturing, health care, and mining. Incorporating revisions for December and January, which increased nonfarm payroll employment by 9,000 on net, monthly job gains have averaged 209,000 over the past 3 months. In the goods-producing sector, construction employment rose by 58,000 in February, after increasing by 40,000 a month earlier. Job growth continued among residential specialty trade contractors in February (+15,000). Employment among nonresidential specialty trade contractors grew by 22,000, after changing little in recent months. Job gains also occurred in heavy and civil engineering construction over the month (+15,000). Employment in manufacturing increased by 28,000 in February.