WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The U.S. labor market stumbled in February, with employers cutting jobs and the unemployment rate edging higher, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The report shows the U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs last month, even though economists had expected modest job gains. The unemployment rate also rose slightly to 4.4 percent, up from 4.3 percent in January.

The report also revised previous months’ numbers lower. January’s job gains were reduced from 130,000 to 126,000, while December’s figures were revised from 50,000 jobs added to a loss of 17,000 jobs.

With those revisions, 2025 now includes five months where the U.S. economy lost jobs - the most since 2010, when the country was still recovering from the global financial crisis.

However, some of February’s losses appear to be temporary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a strike at Kaiser Permanente temporarily removed about 31,000 health care workers from payrolls.

Still, the report is raising concerns about the direction of the labor market.

In a statement, the Center for American Progress blamed Trump administration policies for the slowdown. Senior fellow Michael Negron warned the latest numbers may not reflect the full economic picture yet.

“We may see worse news to come as this report does not include the impact of the administration’s military strikes against Iran or its sweeping new 15% tariffs announced after the Supreme Court struck down his Liberation Day tariffs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials are urging caution in interpreting the data.

In a Friday interview with CNBC, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the public should look at job trends over several months rather than focusing on a single report.