February Jobs Report Weakest in 30 Months

The economy produced only 20,000 new jobs in February for its weakest showing since September 2017, according to the Labor Department’s monthly report.While unemployment declined from 4 percent to 3.8 percent and employment in wholesale trade, professional and business services, and health care trended upward in February, construction jobs declined by 31,000, a possibly worrisome sign.Economic analysts offered a range of reactions to news of the weak job-creation numbers. Some, citing proj