For Immediate Release: Friday, March 4, 2011
Contact: Phoebe Silag or Karen Conner, news@epi.org 202-775-8810

“February was the first month of the recovery where many of the indicators in the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Report are positive, suggesting the jobs recovery is gaining traction,” said EPI economist Heidi Shierholz in today’s Jobs Picture.  February caps off 12 straight months of private-sector job growth with a relatively strong 222,000 private payroll jobs added.  However, state and local budget problems continue to be a substantial headwind to growth, with the loss of 30,000 more such jobs last month.  Click here for full Jobs Picture.