The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its February
employment / unemployment report on March 6^th, 2026.

Employment / Unemployment 

• Seasonally Adjusted U-3 was 4.4% up from 4.3%
• Unadjusted U-3 was 4.7%
• Unadjusted U-6 was 8.3%
• Labor Force Participation was 62.0%
• Unadjusted Employment rose from 156.723 million to 157.286 million
• 30,000 of the Job losses are temporary due to a strike
• ADP is reporting 63,000 Jobs added in February, saying “Hiring jumped in February, delivering the best showing for job gains since November 2025″
• Next Update: April 3rd, 2026

Summary:

The BLS adjusted many of its numbers this month. According to the BLS “January 2026 estimates were revised to incorporate updated population controls.” January’s UnAdjusted U-6 was increased from 8.7% to 8.8%, UnAdjusted U3 was increased from 4.6% to 4.7%, but the Seasonally Adjusted U3 remained the same at 4.3%. The changes were based on the adjustment of the Civilian population from 274.982 million to 274.676 million.

According to the Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

“Total nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 92,000 in February, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in health care decreased, reflecting strike activity. Employment in information and federal government continued to trend down… Both the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.6 million, changed little in February.”

You can read the full BLS report here.

As usual, they are talking about “Seasonally Adjusted Jobs,” and there was a major strike of Healthcare workers in California and Hawaii that accounted for 30,000 of those lost jobs, which will be back shortly.

Looking at the Unadjusted Establishment Survey report we see…
Originally, the BLS reported employment of 156.714 million for January, which they adjusted slightly to 156.723 million this month.

They are currently reporting 157.286 million jobs for February which is actually an increase of 572,000 jobs based on their original numbers. The LFPR was originally 62.5% in January, but January’s numbers were adjusted down to 62.1% this month. February is said to be 62.0%.

AI Is an Easy Scapegoat for Layoffs

Several major companies across tech, finance, logistics, and consulting have publicly cited AI or “AI-driven efficiencies” as justification for layoffs. The most explicit examples include Block, Amazon, Salesforce, Accenture, and dozens more identified in aggregated reports. Some CEOs and analysts argue many firms are using AI as a scapegoat for deeper business problems.

Block cut ~40% of its workforce (~4,000 jobs). CEO Jack Dorsey said AI “enables a significantly smaller team to do more and do it better.” But they were really inefficient to start with.

Amazon blamed AI for a 14,000-job reduction. Meta cited AI investments while cutting jobs; critics say the real cause was overexpansion. Google said layoffs linked to “AI-driven restructuring,” though OpenAI’s Sam Altman says AI is not the real driver. According to CNBC, many firms “significantly overhired” and are now using AI as a public-facing justification for layoffs.

Bottom line: Although AI is enabling some productivity gains and role consolidation, especially in customer support, basic coding, content production, and back-office workflows. But, announced “AI-related layoffs” are still a small share of total layoffs, and Macro productivity data doesn’t yet show a clear, AI-driven step-change. Many firms appear to be using AI as an excuse to impress investors, signal “modernization,” or cover overhiring and weak demand rather than reporting actual savings.

On Wednesday, the European Central Bank (“ECB”) contradicted the AI job loss narrative by saying:
“Companies that make significant use of AI are about 4% more likely to take on additional staff. In other words, AI-intensive firms tend, on average, to hire rather than fire. Much the same can be said of investment in AI: firms that invest in AI are nearly 2% more likely to hire additional staff than those that don’t.”

Current Unemployment Rate Chart

Unemployment is 1% above the January and April lows of 2023.

At 157.286 million jobs for February, actual employment is above the 156.714 million jobs originally reported in January, on the Unadjusted Establishment Survey report, but still well below October’s originally released numbers.

See Current Employment  for more information.

BLS: February 2026 Employment by Sector

The BLS employment “bubble chart” based on the Establishment Survey Data gives us a good picture of the Seasonally Adjusted employment numbers.

The Bubble’s Size tells us the total Employment for that industry (i.e., larger bubbles mean more people are employed in that sector).

The bubble’s location on the chart tells us that there has been a change in Employment Levels over the most recent month… A bubble further to the right indicates larger job growth. A bubble’s vertical location on the chart shows the average industry salary.

Remember, these are Seasonally Adjusted Numbers, so they aren’t cumulative!

Looking at the above chart, we can see that only 5 sectors showed employment growth in February. While last month, only four sectors were below zero (i.e., left of the zero line, i.e., lost workers). But for those who retain their jobs, wages continue to increase. Note: ADP only shows 3 sectors declining.

BLS Average Weekly Wages

BLS Employment Levels by Industry

February 2026, Seasonally Adjusted Employment

Note: The monthly increase is Seasonally Adjusted, so even though February Employment is down from 603,000 to 600,000, for Mining and Logging, the adjusted numbers indicate that employment was down by -2,000.

Source: BLS

ADP^® National Employment Report

ADP provides an independent (non-government) estimate of private-sector employment and pay, based on data derived from ADP client payrolls. According to ADP®, In collaboration with Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

Note: The numbers are released a few days before the BLS numbers and are often quite different. BLS says -90,000 jobs, ADP says +63,000 jobs.

ADP: Private employers added 63,000 jobs in February

• Hiring jumped in February, delivering the best showing for job gains since November 2025. Construction, education, and health services led the growth.

Source: ADP®

ADP Private Employment by Establishment Size

ADP Job Gainers / Losers

Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate Chart 1948-Present

Less Than Full Employment

This chart compares employment levels with the (inverted) unemployment rate.

Full Employment is when everyone who wants a job has one. It is generally considered to be around 3%. After the unemployment rate almost touched the magic full employment line in April 2023, it began moving away (i.e., higher unemployment).

Note: The Unemployment rate is inverted to track the employment rate. Neither is Seasonally Adjusted. For more information see Employment vs. Unemployment.

Note: Full employment is not considered to be at zero percent because even when employers are having difficulty finding employees, some people are still unemployed due to either:

1. Structural unemployment (mismatch between worker skills and job requirements, i.e., not enough training) or
2. Frictional unemployment. There will always be people who have quit or have lost a seasonal job and are in the process of getting a new job. Or simply because they quit their job, knowing it would be easy to find another (hopefully better) job.

Seasonally Adjusted U1 through U6 Unemployment Rates

Labor Force Participation Rate

The LFPRwas adjusted from 62.5% in January to 62.1%. February was 62.0%.

Note: A rising LFPR means that a greater portion of the Non-Institutional population is in the Labor Force.

The Labor Force Participation Rate is the percentage of the Non-Institutional Population that makes up the Labor Force.

And the Employment – Population Ratio is the percentage of the Total Population that is Employed.  We created a chart to help explain the difference. The Employment–Population Ratio is the percentage of the largest circle to the smallest circle in this diagram. In contrast, the LFPR is the relationship of the 2nd largest circle to the 3rd largest circle (entire green circle).

Employment-Population Ratio

By Gender and Age

This chart shows the Employment-Population Ratio by Gender. Men make up a much larger portion of the workforce, i.e., 66.8% of men are employed, and only 56.1% of women are employed. But…

As you can see, 20 years ago, back in 2006, over 72% of men were working and 57.4% of women were working. In 2008, the Great Recession caused a massive decline in employment for both men and women. By December of 2009, only 66.4% of men were working and 55.4% of women. Over the next decade and a half, women workers rebounded back to 56.4%, but men only rebounded to 67.4%.

Employment-Population Ratio by Race

This chart shows the Employment-Population Ratio by Race (including both Men and Women). As we can see, Hispanics and Asians have the highest percentage of their population employed.

Percent Unemployed 27 weeks or Longer

Roughly a quarter (25.3%) of those unemployed have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.

Unemployment by Education

Surprisingly, the unemployment rate for those with no High School is at the low end of the normal range, while unemployment for those with a College degree have been gradually increasing since 2022.

Read more on UnemploymentData.com.