Healthcare continues to drive much of the U.S. employment gains, though the finance, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance sectors also added a significant number of jobs last month.
The healthcare sector added 52,000 jobs in February, which was on par with the typical monthly gains, according to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. Like in previous months, the gains were concentrated in ambulatory health care services and hospitals, as well as nursing and residential care facilities.
Financial activity—a sector that has been weaker over the past year—posted gains of 21,000 in February. That’s markedly higher than the sector’s average monthly increase of 5,000 jobs over the past 12 months. Much of that was in finance and insurance, though the commercial banking sector continues to shed jobs.
