The U.S. economy added 311,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The gains were well above the consensus estimates of around 200,000 new jobs, in another sign that the labor market is stronger than many expected given recent Federal Reserve rate hikes. In January, the U.S. added a whopping half a million jobs, despite expectations of a sizable slow down in hires.
What sectors are driving the gains? Leisure and hospitality, once again leading the charge, added 105,000 jobs, with food services and drinking places adding the lion's share.
Retail, meanwhile, added 50,000 jobs, with general merchandise stores contributing the bulk, and government employment increased 46,000 in February.
On the losing side, the information industry shed 25,000 jobs, and transportation and warehousing lost 22,000 jobs — the second large drop for the sector since the beginning of the year.
Apple's 'Wonderlust' event will kick off Tuesday to showcase its newest products, including the iPhone 15 while Google is facing a federal antitrust lawsuit. Meanwhile, TikTok is rolling out ecommerce on its app.
Stocks opened lower in Tuesday's session on concerns over higher oil prices and after Monday's earnings report from Oracle that showed revenue came in weaker than expected.
The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway.
