Secretary Chavez-DeRemer statement on February jobs report

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued the following statement regarding the February 2026 Employment Situation Report:

“While record-breaking strikes and bad winter weather dragged down February nonfarm employment, the unemployment rate held steady, and there are several positive signs for our economy that continue to show American workers are recovering from the mess left behind by Biden. 

“President Trump has successfully reignited wage growth, which continued to accelerate in February – rising 3.8 percent year over year. Factory workers’ wages in particular have improved from a $830 loss to an impressive $2,400 gain under the Trump Administration. Additionally, while federal employment has hit its lowest level on record, private sector job growth rose by half a million during the President’s first year in office and 60,000 jobs have been created already this year. 

“As wages continue to outpace inflation, and as the Working Families Tax Cuts help employers and job creators keep even more of their hard-earned money, I’m optimistic that job growth will continue as we undo the Biden-era catastrophe of soaring prices and stagnant wages.”