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The latest employment summary from the U.S. Department of Labor finds U.S. manufacturers shed 12,000 jobs in February. This follows a 5,000-job increase reported in January, for a net loss of 7,000 jobs in 2026.
Meanwhile, the overall jobs report found the economy shed 92,000 jobs in February, reversing the 130,000-job gain reported in January. The unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4%. Employment losses were led by health care—which saw strike activity over the month. Jobs were also down in information and government.
Additionally, the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey finds that unfilled positions in U.S. manufacturing settled at 415,000 as of December 2025, compared to 388,000 unfilled positions in November.
In February, job losses were led by nondurable goods, which shed 8,000 jobs, while durable goods lost 4,000 for a total loss of 12,000 positions. Next, we’ll explore gains and losses in specific industry subsectors.
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Employment losses in February were spread out across multiple sectors and were seen most heavily in plastics and rubber (-4,200); transportation equipment (-4,000); wood products (-2,400); beverage, tobacco, and leather (-2,100); food processing (-1,700); and primary metals (-1,700).
Other marginal losses were seen in computer and electronic products manufacturing, semiconductors, petroleum & coal products, and textile mills, among others.
Gains were few and far between and included fabricated metals (+2,100); electrical equipment (+1,200); machinery (+1,100); and chemicals (+1,000).
Marginal gains were also seen in paper products, communications equipment, and nonmetallic minerals.
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Source: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm
Editor's note: This article is updated on the first Friday of every month, based on the latest data released by the Department of Labor.