The growth of employment in the United States accelerated in February and the unemployment rate rose to 4.1%, but the growing uncertainty about commercial policy and the deep cuts of federal government spending could erode the resilience of the labor market in the coming months.
Non -agricultural payrolls increased by 151,000 jobs last month after having increased by 125,000 (downward) in JanuarySaid the Office of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor in its Employment Report followed closely on Friday.
The economists surveyed by Reuters had predicted that payrolls would increase in 160,000 jobs, after an increase of 143,000 in January, as reported above. Estimates ranged between 30,000 and 300,000 jobs.
The increase in the unemployment rate was 4.0% in January.
The report was the first that was published under the supervision of President Donald Trump. Economists said that the Trump administration commercial policy was making it difficult for companies to plan the future. The confidence of companies and consumers It has collapsed since January, erasing all the profits achieved after Trump’s electoral victory in November.
The stock market has suffered mass sales, with the three main Wall Street indexes in negative terrain this year and the Nasdaq composite in correction territory since it reached its peak last December.
Lagatia of commercial policy
Trump triggered a commercial war this week by applying a new 25% tariff to imports from Mexico and Canada, together with the duplication of rights over Chinese products to 20%. But on Thursday, Trump exempted the products of Canada and Mexico under a commercial pact in North America for a month of the 25%tariff.
The dismissals of Federal Government employees during the test period by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) of the Elon Musk Technological billionaire They were not reflected in the employment report, since most of the purge occurred outside the survey week. But the freezing of hiring and funds slowed government employment, one of the main pillars of employment growth in recent years. A greater impact on government payrolls in the March report is expected.
