Posted March 4, 2011
Manufacturing, construction jobs rebound
The manufacturing and construction industries both showed job gains in February according to the new jobs report issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 192,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.9 percent. Job gains occurred in manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, health care, and transportation and warehousing.
Manufacturing employment rose by 33,000 in February. Almost all of the gain occurred in durable goods industries, including machinery (+9,000) and fabricated metal products (+7,000). Manufacturing has added 195,000 jobs since its most recent trough in December 2009; durable goods manufacturing added 233,000 jobs during this period.
Construction employment grew by 33,000 in February, following a decline of 22,000 in January that may have reflected severe winter weather. Within construction, specialty trade contractors accounted for the bulk of the February job gain (+28,000).
