America lost another 651,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate above 8 percent, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.That means the nation has suffered a decline of 2.6 million jobs during the past four months. A total of 4.4 million jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007.
Unemployment shot up from 7.6 percent in January to 8.1 percent in February. The number of unemployed Americans increased by 851,000 during the month, rising to a total of 12.5 million.
The ranks of the long-term unemployed -- those out of work for 27 weeks or more -- increased by 270,000 in February to a total of 2.9 million.
Employment declines occurred in most sectors in February, with health care a notable exception.
The sharpest drop was recorded in the field of professional and business services, which lost 180,000 jobs in February. Other sharp losses occurred in manufacturing (down 168,000 jobs), construction (down 104,000 jobs), and financial activities (down 44,000 jobs)
Employment in health care actually increased by 27,000 jobs in February.
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