Experts Friday reacted to a weak jobs report, which they say signals a shaky labor market — and the latest hit to President Donald Trump's economy.
Market analysts weighed in after the Labor Department revealed that 92,000 jobs were cut in February and unemployment has climbed to 4.4 percent, The New York Times reported. The report comes as uncertainty rises around the economy and America's growing conflict in the Middle East.
The Trump administration has blamed the weaker-than-expected report partially on the winter storms and strikes last month, according to The Times. And although weather can play a factor in unemployment, the data for February jobs doesn't necessarily tie solely to weather.
Economic specialists shared their thoughts on the report and what it revealed.
"This is not good," economist Justin Wolfers wrote on X, sharing a chart showing how job growth has stalled and could be rolling backwards.
"BREAKING. BIG MISS. US LOSES 92K JOBS IN FEBRUARY, UNEMPLOYMENT RISES TO 4.4%. Economists had expected 55K jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.3%," Joe Weisenthal, co-host of Bloomberg's Odd Lots podcast, wrote on X.
"Important point: February was a dismal jobs report. But look closer at who is suffering the most in this frozen job market...Young people, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans. These are the groups that have had the biggest uptick in unemployment rates," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal and NPR's Marketplace contributor, wrote on X.
"Huge miss in the February 2026 jobs report: 92k jobs lost. Prior two months revised down 71k. Unemployment back up to 4.4%, the rounding gods just barely keeping them off 4.5%," Mike Konczal, senior director policy and research at the Economic Security Project, wrote on X.
"Say it plain: This is a terrible jobs report. The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, nearly double the expected loss of 50,000. It’s the third payroll decline in the past five months. Note: This is one of the worst monthly payroll drops since Covid," designer Christopher Webb wrote on X.