Unemployment Holds at 9.7%

Employers shed 36,000 jobs, fewer than expected
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 5, 2010 7:38 AM CST
Updated Mar 5, 2010 8:18 AM CST
Unemployment Holds at 9.7%
In this Feb. 24 photo, people wait in line to enter a jobs fair in New York City.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The unemployment rate held at 9.7% in February as employers shed fewer jobs than expected. The Labor Department said employers cut 36,000 jobs, below analysts' estimates of 50,000. They had predicted the jobless rate would rise to 9.8%. The severe snowstorms that hammered the East Coast last month may have skewed the numbers, but the department wouldn't quantify the impact. (More unemployment stories.)

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