Whether you work on Wall Street or in a warehouse, the latest jobs report released by the government on Friday contained good news, with impressive employment gains in low-, middle- and high-wage industries.
The Numbers
2015
2016
2017
2018
thousand
+300
200
100
0
+313,000
Feb.
Feb.
Monthly change in jobs
■ 313,000 jobs were added last month, the most since July 2016 and the 89th straight month of gains, a record. Economists had anticipated a gain of about 200,000.
%
10
5
0
4.1%
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
Unemployment Rate
■ The unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, the same as in January and still a 17-year low.
■ The average hourly wage grew by 0.1 percent. It grew by 0.3 percent in January.