Washington, March 8, 2025 – The unemployment rate edged up slightly in the first full month of US President Donald Trump’s second term.
It comes as Trump takes aggressive tariff approaches towards key trade partners China, Canada and Mexico.
US President Donald Trump’s shifting trade policies are creating uncertainty, with the federal government also laying off workers in multiple departments.
Despite this economic turbulence, the US labor market showed growth in February, adding 151,000 jobs, up from a revised 125,000 in January, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.
“The economy is off to a slow start under the new president,” chief economist Christopher Rupkey told Reuters news agency.
“You can’t have mass firings of federal workers and government contractors and think it is not going to mean job losses for the private sector.
“Tariffs are a price hike and a brake on economic growth which includes hiring.”
