U.S. job growth rose more than expected in February, the government said in a report Friday that could ease concerns of a sudden slowdown in economic growth. The Labor Department reported that employers added 175,000 jobs last month after creating 129,000 new positions in January. The unemployment rate, however, rose to 6.7 percent from a five-year low of 6.6 percent the previous month. Economists had expected payrolls to increase 149,000 and the unemployment rate to hold steady at 6.6 percent. Job gains last month were fairly broad-based, with private-sector payrolls rising 162,000 and government adding 13,000 positions. Manufacturing saw its seventh consecutive month of gains, adding 6,000 jobs. Construction payrolls increased 15,000 last month. Unusually cold and snowy winter weather has disrupted U.S. economic activity. Severe weather in February caused the length of the average work week to fall to its lowest level since January 2011. Federal Reserve (Fed) officials, including Chair Janet Yellen, have viewed the recent weakness in hiring—which has mirrored data including retail sales, industrial production, and homebuilding—as largely weather-related and temporary. Most economists expect the Fed will announce further cuts in its extraordinary stimulus at its next meeting on March 18 and 19.
