Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2015-03-06

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 increased by 295,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged down to 5.5 percent. Employment rose in food services and drinking places, professional and business services, construction, health care, and in transportation and warehousing. Mining employment fell over the month. Incorporating the revisions for December and January, which reduced nonfarm employment by 18,000 on net, monthly job gains have averaged 288,000 over the past 3 months. In the 12 months prior to February, employment growth averaged 266,000 per month. Food services and drinking places added 59,000 jobs in February, compared with an average monthly gain of 35,000 over the prior 12 months. Professional and business services employment increased by 51,000 in February.