5 Key Numbers in the February Blowout Jobs Report
The U.S. added jobs in February at the fastest pace in a year and a half. Watch our video to learn what other numbers increased and are key to our economic growth.
Investors were watching closely as the Bureau of Labor Statistics released jobs numbers for the month of February. Here are the five key numbers you can't miss.
- The U.S. economy added 313,000 jobs in February, trouncing Wall Street's expectations of 200,000 new jobs for the month. February's hiring pace was the fastest since July 2016.
- Unemployment held steady at 4.1% for the fifth consecutive month. It remains the lowest level since December 2000.
- Hourly earnings were up slightly by 0.1% in February from a month earlier, but came in below economists' forecast of a 0.2% uptick in wages. Wages grew 0.3% in January from the previous month.
- Wages were up 2.6% year-over-year in February, which were slower than January's 2.9% growth from a year earlier. January's year-over-year wage growth had been the largest since 2009.
- January job additions were revised higher to 239,000 from the original estimate of 200,000. Given upward revisions, monthly job additions have been 242,000 over the last three months.
