Employment Research Brief

Job losses exceeded gains in February. Total employment decreased by 92,000 roles last month. Labor disputes within Kaiser Permanente were largely responsible for a 28,000-position decline in health care, a sector that has contributed 36,000 new jobs per month on average over the past year. Even if healthcare hiring had performed per that benchmark, the headline payroll count still would have declined, with most sectors outside financial activities and trade reporting contractions.