- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
US adds 678,000 jobs in February amid pandemic recovery
The US economy saw a hiring surge in February, the government reported Friday, edging the jobless rate closer to the pre-pandemic level as hard hit sectors recover from the impact of Covid-19.
American employers added 678,000 workers to their payrolls last month, driving the unemployment rate down to 3.8 percent, the Labor Department reported.
The report is good news for President Joe Biden, who has highlighted the strong economic recovery even as inflation has accelerated and undermined his approval rating.
And inflation could accelerate further as oil prices jump following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The surge in hiring last month far surpassed the consensus forecast, although some economists were calling for a big increase as the world's largest economy gets back on track.
As the Omicron variant wave has faded and local authorities lift mask restrictions, bars and restaurants have reopened and Americans have started traveling more.
"The February jobs report showed an economy moving powerfully past the pandemic," said. Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.
He pointed to the advances "in sectors beaten down by the pandemic... that show Americans getting back to normal spending patterns."
- 'Solid position' -
Job gains were widespread, led by the 179,000 new jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector that was hard hit by Covid-19 shutdowns and restrictions.
Manufacturing and construction saw modest hiring gains, while professional services increased by 95,000, the report said.
The government revised the results in the prior two months, for a combined increase of an additional 92,000 positions in December and January.
Frick said the upward revisions underscore "how well hiring fared even during the height of the Omicron wave."
"With Omicron all but petered out, we should expect more strong jobs reports."
However, while the jobless rate fell from four percent in January, the share of people in the workforce barely changed.
The data show some groups are taking longer to reap the benefits of the recovery, with unemployment among Black workers at 6.6 percent, twice the rate for white Americans.
Millions of people are still working part time because they cannot find full-time jobs, and 1.2 million said they weren't able to look for work due to the pandemic.
Still the solid jobs recovery and rising inflation have prompted the Federal Reserve to prepare to raise lending rates later this month for the first time since the benchmark rate was cut to zero as the pandemic began.
Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said the string of jobs gains mean the "labor market is in a very solid position for the US economy going forward."
He noted the rising wages have benefited workers.
While there was little change in average hourly earnings last month, they have risen strongly in recent months and are 5.1 percent higher over the past 12 months, the report said.
A.Leibowitz--CPN