While Donald Trump has focused all his attention on the war with Iran, the US economy keeps catching up with him. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released very poor employment figures for February on Friday, March 6: 92,000 jobs were lost compared to January, whereas analysts had expected 50,000, and the unemployment rate inched up to 4.4%. The news is troubling for the US administration, especially as inflation, currently at 2.4%, could rise in the coming weeks with the increase in oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict.
This plunge in employment in February followed a marked rebound in January, which the White House hailed as a sign of a labor market recovery after an especially bleak 2025. The president and his team did not rush to comment on the setback Friday. The figures for the previous two months were also revised downward. Where December was previously reported as seeing 48,000 new jobs, it is now shown as 17,000 jobs lost – a correction of 65,000. The strong January gains were also revised down, from 130,000 to 126,000 jobs created (a drop of 4,000).
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