Advance copies of this statement are made available to the
press under lock-up conditions with the explicit
understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time.

                              
                        Statement of
                              
                       Philip L. Rones
                     Deputy Commissioner
                 Bureau of Labor Statistics
                              
                    Friday, March 9, 2007



     Nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend up in
February, and the unemployment rate, at 4.5 percent, was
essentially unchanged from January.  Payroll employment was
up by 97,000 over the month, following gains of 226,000 in
December and 146,000 in January, as revised.  Over the year
ending in February, payroll employment grew by 2 million.
Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents, or 0.4 percent,
over the month.

     In the service-providing sector, health care employment
continued to expand, increasing by 33,000 in February.
Health care accounted for about one in six jobs added to
payrolls in the past 12 months.  Food services employment
also continued its upward trend, rising by 21,000 in
February.  Employment in the information industry, which
includes publishing, broadcasting, motion pictures, and
telecommunications, increased by 13,000.  Employment
continued to trend up in professional and business services
(+29,000); there were job gains in several areas, including
building services, computer systems design, and management
and technical consulting.  Temporary help services
employment was little changed over the month and over the
year.

     In the goods-producing sector, mining employment rose
by 4,000 in February.  Over the year, mining employment has
increased by 49,000.
     
     Construction employment fell by 62,000 in February.
Adverse weather conditions in many parts of the country
likely contributed to the job declines throughout the
industry.  Employment in the residential component of
specialty trades has been declining for the past year.
     
     Manufacturing employment continued to trend down
(-14,000) in February.  Average weekly hours in the
manufacturing sector were unchanged over the month, but
factory overtime edged up by one-tenth of an hour.

      Average hourly earnings for private sector production
and nonsupervisory workers rose by 6 cents to $17.16 in
February.  Over the year, average hourly earnings increased
by 4.1 percent.
     
     In February, most labor market measures from the
household survey showed little or no change.  The
unemployment rate, at 4.5 percent, was essentially
unchanged.  The jobless rate has ranged from 4.4 to 4.6
percent for the last 6 months.  The labor force
participation rate was 66.2 percent in February, little
different from a year earlier.

     In summary, nonfarm payroll employment was up by 97,000
over the month, and the unemployment rate was little changed
at 4.5 percent.