Unemployment Rate Likely Held Steady At 8.3 Percent, Economists Say

By Mark Memmott

Published March 9, 2012 at 5:45 AM MST

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Will more signs such as this be showing up? (Nov. 30, 2011 file photo from San Rafael, Calif.)

Justin Sullivan

Here's what to expect at 8:30 a.m. ET when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its much-anticipated February jobs report, economists say:

-- "The economy probably created 210,000 jobs last month, according to a Reuters survey, following January's tally of 243,000. The unemployment rate is expected to have held at a three-year low of 8.3 percent."

-- "Economists forecast the data will show that private jobs increased 225,000 and total non-farm payrolls climbed 210,000 in February, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. The jobless rate probably held at an almost three-year low of 8.3 percent."

If the jobless rate is unchanged from January's 8.3 percent, it would still be at the lowest level since February 2009. A year ago, it was around 9 percent.

We'll post the news once the report is out. And Planet Money plans to make sense of the numbers as well.