Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2021-03-05

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 379,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.2 percent. The labor market continued to reflect the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Employment rose sharply in leisure and hospitality. Notable job gains also occurred in temporary help services, health care and social assistance, retail trade, and manufacturing. State and local government education, construction, and mining lost jobs over the month. Substantial job losses related to the coronavirus pandemic first occurred in March (-1.7 million) and April (-20.7 million) of 2020. As economic activity resumed, employment increased by 12.6 million from May through November but declined again in December (-306,000) following a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. Nonfarm payroll employment has increased by 545,000 over the past 2 months but is down by 9.5 million, or 6.2 percent, from a year ago.