WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. employers added 151,000 jobs in February amid slowing job growth, with the unemployment rate edging up to 4.1 percent, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.
Employment trended up in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Federal government employment declined by 10,000 in February, said the report.
As the Donald Trump administration continues to reduce the federal workforce, this data could be negatively impacted in the coming months.
The February job growth is lower than the average monthly gain of 168,000 over the prior 12 months, the report showed.
In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 10 cents, or 0.3 percent, to 35.93 dollars. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.0 percent. ■