The United States added 379,000 jobs in February 2021, more than 75% higher than the expected 210,000 jobs economists predicted for the second month of the year, in a sign that businesses are preparing for a post-pandemic economy.
The jobs report was impacted by the severe weather that swept across the country during the month, perhaps driving down the number of jobs reported. The number of jobs created in December 2020 and January 2021 were revised up a combined net 38,000 jobs.
Health care and social services led the sector growth with more than 46,000 jobs added, followed by retail (41,000) and manufacturing (21,000). The hardest hit sectors with job losses were education on state and local levels (69,000) and mining (61,000).