Catastrophic BLS Jobs Report, US economy loses 92,000 jobs in February, Unemployment rises to 4.4%

[Johnny2X2X]

Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2026, 11:45 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_03062026.htm

December revised down -65K from +48,000 to -17,000. January revised down from 130,000 to 126,000.

These are truly awful jobs numbers. All of 2025 for jobs growth stands at less than 125,000 jobs. 10,000 jobs a month for a whole year is catastrophic.

I'm old enough to remember a month where Biden was expected to add 300,000 jobs in a month and he only added 188,000 and he got hammered in the news for weeks for the "weakening" jobs market. This is 125,000 jobs in a whole year!

This is disaster for workers, the Biden jobs market is what delivered real wage growth for working people, that is wage growth in excess of inflation, that era is gone and you're going to see wages start to fall as employers can be more selective and offer less. If Biden were presiding over these jobs reports, there would be constant calls for him to resign.

This means the economy added just 9,000 jobs over the last 3 months. TRUMP NEEDS TO RESIGN, he has destroyed the economy!

[Joe Cool]

1. The US LOST 92,000 jobs last month

You need to correct your post.

[Johnny2X2X]

2. Thanks

Caught that, was reading the actual report.

[SCantiGOP]

59. Title not corrected

The loss was for February. January was revised down and was much lower than projected, but still had an increase.

[gab13by13]

3. I was about to post the same thing, you beat me to it.

Magat economists predicted 50,000 jobs and were calling that normal, as you say, now they will say jobs exceeded expectations.(until the downgrade later)

They predicted unemployment would be unchanged.

These bastards want to put a good spin on the economy to get the Fed to lower those interest rates to crash the dollar.

Krasnov has only one economic goal - to crash the dollar, but with rising oil prices, look out inflation.

[Fiendish Thingy]

15. So, no "cooked books"?

Guess that increases the odds of Trump just shutting down the BLS?

[Wiz Imp]

24. BLS will not get "shut down".

However, It is a possiblility that Trump decides to quit with reporting the monthly jobs report. They can make up some BS excuse about how the methodology doesn't work any more. Not saying they will definitely do this, just that it is a possibility. I'll be interested to see what they do.

Notice how the permanent BLS commissioner job has been vacant for 7 months now without a nominee even named (the original nominee was so bad, he was forced to withdraw very quickly to avoid the embarrassment of being rejected)? BLS isn't a priority of this administration.

[Fiendish Thingy]

26. Yes, I meant reports would be blocked

That’s what I meant by “shut down”.

The main reason for BLS to exist is to collect statistics and generate reports for public consumption.

[Wiz Imp]

33. Correct.

Thing is, there isn't much Trump can do about it. Despite what many people here seem to think, the data cannot be manipulated without it being obvious and the economists of the world know it .

Even stopping publishing some data will not shield them. The quarterly jobs data is "owned" by the states and would be published by the states even if BLS tried to stop it (but given that it is a universe count, unlike the monthly estimates, they wouldn't even have an excuse for stopping publishing it - it effectively cnnot be manipulated).

[Fiendish Thingy]

37. In any case, every worker knows if they have a job or not, regardless of what stats are reported

And every unemployed worker is a potential Dem voter in November.

[Wiz Imp]

40. Yep.

[IbogaProject]

55. And there is also the ADP report

The ADP report coming out bad on top if them withhding the BLS would be a bad look even fir Cheatolini.

[gab13by13]

30. I think I know what you are directing at me,

My question months ago was it seemed to me when revisions were made to the jobs numbers they always were revised down when a Republican was president, they were at times revised up for a Democratic president, maybe just coincidence? Also, I never really investigated my claim.

[Fiendish Thingy]

35. Just some good natured ribbing

You did, after all, post just yesterday about the likelihood that today’s report would “cook the books”

The reality of the declining jobs market will only increase the size of the Blue Tsunami in November, whether they continue to report accurately or not.

[gab13by13]

48. Here's what I posted, not as bad as you made it sound,

I know it's ribbing, I read Buddhist books, it's all good. My last sentence could have added the sarcasm thingy.

If Ever There Was A Time To Cook The Books, It's Tomorrow
The jobs report is due out tomorrow morning. I have to laugh, now expecting 50,000 jobs is looked at as normal, and economists predict that unemployment will remain unchanged.

The bastards are afraid that inflation will prevent the Fed from giving them the interest rate cuts they so dearly want, to crash the dollar.

The Krasnov economy has one goal, crash the dollar.

Looking for right wing economic forums to headline that Happy Days are Here Again after the jobs report.

[Fiendish Thingy]

54. I don't think even FOX Business channel can spin this report positively

My guess is Maria B. Will just ignore it.

[Wiz Imp]

63. "they always were revised down when a Republican was president"

Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2026, 01:26 PM - Edit history (1)

Not true. Benchmark revisions are typically related to turning points in the economy. For example Jobs were revised down in 2008-2010 because the bottom fell out of the economy and the survey didn't adequately capture the turn. Likewise, they were revised upwrds after that because the survey was slow to capture the recovery. Jobs have been revised downward significantly each of the past 2 years because the survey failed to adequately capture the slowdown which started under Biden and has cratered since Trump took over.

https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12827/IF12827.2.pdf (see figure 2)

[Johnny2X2X]

4. So I think you can watch for the BLS to be purged now

This jobs report is catastrophic for Trump. He has completely destroyed the jobs market and a recession will follow as workers are being hit hard by his disastrous economic policies.

The BLS is still legit, if they become corrupted, it will be more than obvious as the career statisticians there will resign en masse. I think that's on the way.

What I think you're seeing is firms feeling a great deal of pressure not to raise prices, so they're cutting costs by laying people off and forgoing expansions. Inflation isn't contained by any stretch, but it's not gone out of control like you'd expect, these firms are just getting rid of workers instead of raising costs.

[gab13by13]

9. Yeah but people will catch on

when the new BLS people give a report of eleventy million new jobs.

[Johnny2X2X]

17. Agree

I think it will be more than obvious. But what I fear is the media makes a stink for a couple months and then stops covering it and then most people just forget it's all corrupt now and just go with the fake numbers.

[paleotn]

57. And catch on quickly. It will be like Pravda back in the Soviet days....

The populace doesn't believe it and think the truth is actually the opposite of what's reported. Some things never change.

[Wiz Imp]

31. BLS will not be "purged".

It is possible that they quit publishing the monthly jobs report, but they can't get rid of everybody or shut it down. That won't happen.

Notice how the permanent BLS commissioner job has been vacant for 7 months now without a nominee even named (the original nominee was so bad, he was forced to withdraw very quickly to avoid the embarrassment of being rejected)? BLS isn't a priority of this administration.

[Maru Kitteh]

61. "BLS isn't a priority of this administration."

Which serves only as further testimony as to how genuinely, deeply, and thoroughly stupid they really are.

Thank goodness.

[SamuelTheThird]

5. The economy was already headed for a recession

Now with the war...down down the toilet we go

[Johnny2X2X]

7. Joe Biden added over 300,000 jobs per month on average

For 48 months, he added over 14.6M jobs.

300,000 jobs was an average month for President Biden and all he got was grief on the economy. Trump added 120,000 for a whole fucking year and nary a peep from the media. But this report is too awful to ignore, expect it to dominate finance news today, and the markets will fall quickly.

[paleotn]

58. Propped up by an AI "build out" that's fictitious in a number of ways.

Strip that foolishness out and GDP growth ain't so good.

[3_Limes]

6. Easy problem to solve! Just stop publishing the report.

Which is what I expect Dear Leader to do. And maybe fire everybody involved. It'll be no surprise to anyone.

[EdmondDantes_]

8. You forgot to add it's all Biden's fault

Definitely not Trump's fault.

[chicoescuela]

10. Hottest economy on the planet don't ya know.

Everything is turning to shit under tsf.
Maybe that will cool off inflation

[Johnny2X2X]

12. Very interested to see how this is covered

It's shockingly awful after a series of really bad reports. It's over a year of a slow and then fast moving jobs market collapse. The media cannot ignore this now, or can they?

[chicoescuela]

67. Oh, they can and will

[Johnny2X2X]

11. This whole mess goes to Supply Sider nonsense

That giving tax cuts to the rich and deregulation will create more goods and services and thus jobs. That's supply side. We're doing supply side without the free trade part right now which is even worse IMO.

How the economy really works is that regular people have jobs that pay enough that they spend money that creates demands for goods and services thus creating more wealth and more jobs. People are losing their jobs, there are less jobs being created and available, regular people are what drives the whole economic engine.

The only shocking thing is that the UE rate is still only 4.4%, with virtually no jobs added in over a year, this is surely heading higher.

[gab13by13]

13. Yes, Henry Ford understood about demand "driving" the economy.

He produced cars that his workers could afford.

Good post, I agree about supply side economics being a smoke screen to benefit the rich.

If this shit continues people will stop talking about recession and start talking about deflation.

Just wait until Dec. 1st when the big healthcare cuts take effect from the Big Ugly Death Bill.

[617Blue]

14. And it NEVER ends. Dems will try to clean up mess. Clinton, Carter last 2 to balance a budget.

[Johnny2X2X]

19. Every Democratic President has had massive messes to clean up from trickle down nonsense

That's what this is, Trump's trickle down BS combined with completely unnecessary tariffs have just hammered the working class. And it's going to get a lot worse before i gets better. This could be really really bad.

[erronis]

41. And the famous "Laffer Curve"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve

The Laffer curve was popularized in the United States with policymakers following an afternoon meeting with Ford Administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld in 1974, in which Arthur Laffer reportedly sketched the curve on a napkin to illustrate his argument.[6] The term "Laffer curve" was coined by Jude Wanniski, who was also present at the meeting. The basic concept was not new; Laffer himself notes antecedents in the writings of the 14th-century social philosopher Ibn Khaldun and others.[7]

[dalton99a]

16. The Sharpie will fix this problem

[gab13by13]

23. The billionaires are relying on AI to fix the problem,

unwashed Americans are expendable.

[LiberalArkie]

34. AI to fix the problem of them not being trillionaires yet? AI will never in any demented mind create jobs. The sole

purpose of AI is to eliminate jobs so that their wealth will increase.

[gab13by13]

36. Exactly, everything is going according to plan.

[Blue Full Moon]

18. Those numbers are low

Last year they quit with reporting and made the numbers more to Trump's liking.

[Johnny2X2X]

20. Numbers are still legit

The BLS is staffed with dedicated public servants. The Trump pick for the BLS head didn't make it in.

They delayed reporting a couple times, but the numbers are still legit.

[Wiz Imp]

21. They never quit reporting last year.

[Johnny2X2X]

22. Internals of this data are even worse, Manufacturing lost 12,000 jobs

Manufacturing dropped 20,000 jobs over the last 3 months.

All these tariffs killed manufacturing, it did not help.

[Wiz Imp]

28. Manufacturing jobs are down 98,000 over the year.

The only sector really growing at this point is Health care and social assistance

[Johnny2X2X]

29. He lost manufacturing jobs over his full term

These tariffs were sold to the rubes as a way to being manufacturing back, predictably they did the opposite by burdening businesses with extra costs.

[gab13by13]

25. Wait for the tourism industry to crater,

Who wants to visit a war zone? People won't be able to afford to go on vacation.

[Johnny2X2X]

27. Here in Michigan already costing us $billions

Canadians vacation in Northern Michigan in large numbers, was way down this past year and this Summer will drop off a cliff.

[Mysterian]

32. Wow, what a surprise

Republicans give us war and a ruined economy. If only someone had warned us.

[gab13by13]

38. Want to know what really pisses me off?

Republicans constantly being called conservatives. OK I give Teddy Roosevelt a pass.

[Wiz Imp]

39. I don't see it mentioned elsewhere on this thread that in addition to the -92,000 jobs in February,

January and December were revised down by a combined -69,000 meaning the current job level is actually down 161,000 from the previous figure prior to this report.

Monthly jobs movements during Trump's 2nd term:
+42,000
+67,000
+108,000
+13,000
-20,000
+64,000
-70,000
+76,000
-140,000
+41,000
-17,000
+126,000
-92,000
Average monthly gain = 15,231

[Ol Janx Spirit]

50. It was included in the original post, but it is worth reiterating.

And the data looks even worse for President [REDACTED] when you just look at the numbers from the months following "Liberation Day" in April of 2025 when his ownership of the economy really began.

But it's a good thing stupid people aren't in charge now.... Just imagine. /S

[wiggs]

42. slowing employment plus rising costs? Not much the Fed can do to help?....nt

[Johnny2X2X]

44. He'll blame the Fed

And force rate cuts, which will drive inflation. He has screwed this up royally.

Biden's economy will mark the last time working people had a real chance to get ahead.

[gab13by13]

49. Yup, as I have posted many times,

Krasnov doesn't give a darn about inflation, he only wants to crash the dollar, that's why he wants interest rates at zero.

[OnlinePoker]

43. Year over year numbers are way down as well

There are over 400k less employed than in Feb 2025, but there are also 1.88 million less people in the labor force.

[Johnny2X2X]

45. Many people are just giving up

Those that aren't retiring are just giving up on finding work.

[gab13by13]

52. I heard someone say, I think it was Chris Hayes,

that last year was the first year ever that the United States didn't increase its population.

I wonder if it isn't just about people having less children, but maybe people leaving America also is a contributing factor?

[Johnny2X2X]

62. Must have been some segment

Because the US added approximately 1.8M people last year.

[LittleGirl]

46. BLS stands for what? Nt

[Johnny2X2X]

47. Bureau of Labor Statistics

It's the official stats group of the federal government who has been gathering and publishing this type of data for 150 years.

[LittleGirl]

51. Thank you.

Too many acronyms used without spelling it out.

[kimbutgar]

53. I would bet the real numbers are worst and next months revision will be even larger !

Or the BLS department will be shut down if they don’t cook the numbers to be favorable for the 🍊🐖💩!

[EdmondDantes_]

56. That's not a coherent theory

If they cooked the numbers, they wouldn't have picked losing almost 100,000 jobs. They would have at least made the numbers something they could spin.

[kimbutgar]

64. Do you trust anything from the synophats who put in when piggy

started his reign of terror ? They let go a lot of knowledgeable employees.

I don't trust these numbers and they are probably worst than reported !

[Johnny2X2X]

65. Nah, numbers are still legit

We have a poster here who worked closely with the BLS data gatherers, when they start to cook the books, we'll all know it because the data that is published won't add up and those career civil servants will raise the alarm and many will resign.

I do think that time is coming, but it's just not now.

But the cuts there are just going to make the data more volatile.

When Trump just decides to go full Stalin with the BLS data, we're going to see it report comically fake numbers.

[bucolic_frolic]

60. That's just not true, there are plenty of jobs

for the REPO MAN!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

66. MaddowBlog-U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February as Trump-era job market continues to suffer

The more the president insists the economy is amazing, the more we’re confronted with evidence to the contrary.

Job growth over 14 months of Trump’s second term: 150,000 jobs
The previous 14 months: 1.74 million jobs

Under Biden: 0 months of job losses
Trump’s second term: losses in two of the last three months, three of the last five months, and five of the last nine months.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-06T14:04:46.620Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/u-s-economy-lost-92000-jobs-in-february-as-trump-era-job-market-continues-to-suffer

Expectations heading into this week showed projections of about 50,000 new jobs being created in the United States in February. As it turns out, according to the new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the totals fell far short of those expectations. CNBC reported:

Nonfarm payrolls fell by 92,000 for the month, compared to the estimate for 50,000 and below the downwardly revised January total of 126,000. February marked the third time in the past five months that payrolls declined, following a sharp revision showing a drop of 17,000 in December.

At the same time, the unemployment rate edged higher to 4.4% as jobs declined across key areas.

There is no good news here. In fact, during Joe Biden’s four years in the White House, there wasn’t a single month in which the U.S. economy actually lost jobs. It’s become far more common lately: The economy not only shed jobs in February, it also lost jobs in two of the last three months, three of the last five months and five of the last nine months.

All told, Donald Trump has been in the White House for 14 months, and during that time the cumulative total is 150,000 jobs. Over the 14 months preceding the Republican president’s return to power, the American economy added 1.74 million jobs.....

To contextualize the data, I put together this chart to show month-to-month totals since the 2020 election. The blue columns point to Biden’s presidency, while the red columns point to Trump’s.



It remains to be seen whether the president responds to the developments by firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (again).

The question for the White House remains simple: If Trump has created the greatest economy in history, why has American job growth slowed to its lowest pace since the Great Recession?

[SamuelAdams]

68. He's continuing the long tradition of Republicans tanking the economy.

Another Democrat will need to clean up the GOP mess in 2029.

[eppur_se_muova]

69. One Biden day equals one Trmp month in terms of jobs added. 30 TIMES more jobs.

or 2900% more for those who favor "percent talk".