Trump touts new ‘golden age’ as jobless report shows employment steady

Employment rose by 151,000 in February, the first full month of the second term of President Donald J. Trump, according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Services (BLS) in the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Employment trended up in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance,” the report said. The number of unemployed workers, about 7.1 million people, and the jobless rate, 4.1%, changed little, with unemployment hovering at 4% to 4.2% since May last year, according to BLS.

“Federal government employment declined,” it said. There have been dozens of national headlines about firings in various federal departments, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its agencies, the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is a health care provider. Some workers were probationary, although some were in leadership roles, according to news reports. The reports point to efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to hunt for and eliminate wasteful spending in Washington, D.C.

But those employment actions apparently did not extend to state and local governments, which added 1,000 and 20,000 jobs respectively, the BLS figures said. In February, government overall had a net gain of 11,000 jobs, even with the federal cuts, the report said.

Health care adding workers

The health care sector added 52,000 jobs in February, in line with the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the past year. Ambulatory health care services grew by 25,600 workers, with hospitals adding 14,900 staff and nursing and residential care facilities adding 11,500 positions.

Offices of physicians followed with 10,800 new employees; offices of other health practitioners grew by 5,900 staff; home health care services added 4,100 jobs; and outpatient care centers hired 3,900 workers. Offices of dentists, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and other ambulatory health care services all were flat, the report said.

Other sectors

Transportation and warehousing employment grew by 17,800 jobs in February; BLS said that was in line with the monthly gain of 13,000 jobs over the last 12 months. Social assistance grew as a sector, with 11,000 new jobs last month, down from the 21,000 monthly average for the last year. Individual and family services grew by 10,000.

Retail trade workers declined by 6,000 in February, following a trend of little net change over the year. Last month, food and beverage retailers declined by 15,000 largely due to strike activity; the report did not add specific details. Other major sectors were flat, according to BLS.

‘Roaring back’

The president claimed a policy victory in his statement, “Manufacturing Is Roaring Back Under President Donald J. Trump,” which touted 8,900 new auto jobs created, the most in 15 months, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. That increase turned around from the loss of 27,300 auto jobs in the final year of President Joe Biden’s term, according to the White House.

There were 10,000 manufacturing jobs added, up from an average monthly loss of 9,000 in Biden’s final year, the White House statement said.

A tough job market coming?

The American Staffing Association (ASA) offered a mixed review of the February report.

“Headline numbers suggest the labor market remains in good health. But while it is stable, the labor market is not growing,” the ASA analysis said.

“Job growth remains concentrated within just a few sectors, including health care, professional business services, and local and state government,” the ASA analysis said. “Given the current administration’s proposal to significantly reduce the federal workforce, job growth could see further curtailment over the coming months. Conversely, although unemployment remains healthy, a number of headwinds could push employers to enact more cuts — such as shifts in trade policy, persistent inflation, and a high-interest rate environment.”

More business news

Business also was mentioned in the White House statement, “Cabinet Wins: Trump Administration Unleashing Golden Age.” The National Federation of Independent Business praised the U.S. Department of the Treasury for suspending enforcement of the beneficial ownership information reporting requirement that was “outrageous and invasive.” The Small Business Administration (SBA) also began reforms such as including citizenship verification on loan applications. SBA also will relocate offices out of “sanctuary cities,” with policies that may limit law enforcement and public safety workers from sharing information about illegal immigrants in local custody.