US job cuts in February raise recession fears
Business
February 2026 brought an unexpected twist for the US job market: employers cut 92,000 jobs, pushing unemployment up to 4.4%.
A big part of this drop came from health care jobs lost during strikes.
With hiring already on shaky ground, these cuts have people wondering how steady the job scene really is.
Layoffs could influence Fed's interest rate decisions
These surprise layoffs could make the Federal Reserve pay closer attention to jobs when setting interest rates.
Earlier in the year, solid hiring and low unemployment claims seemed reassuring, but now companies are trimming staff, sometimes thanks to AI-driven productivity boosts.
Add global tensions and you get nervous investors: stock futures dipped and Treasury yields fell as everyone waits to see what's next for the economy.