Employers Unexpectedly Cut 92,000 Jobs Last Month and Unemployment Edges up to 4.4% With Labor Market Under Pressure

WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs last month, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. The unemployment rate blipped up to 4.4%.

The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring deteriorated from January, which companies, nonprofits and government agencies added 126,000 jobs. Economists had expected 60,000 new jobs in February.

The job market had been expected to rebound this year from a lackluster 2025 when the economy, buffeted by President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff policies and the lingering effects of high interest rates, generated just 15,000 jobs a month.