February Jobs Report Reveals Looming Crisis in Health Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2026

The Jobs Report for February 2026 was released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The following is a statement from Kate Bahn, PhD, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), on what the current report reveals about the larger economy and its impact on women and families.

According to the latest BLS Jobs Report, released today, the country experienced a net loss in job creation of 92,000, resulting in an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, up from 4.2 percent last month. The report reveals that while women gained a total of 7,000 jobs (in the retail and government sectors), men lost 99,000 jobs.

Even with this minuscule bump in job creation for women, we’re going in the wrong direction, with women, families, and the most vulnerable paying the highest cost. Women lost the most jobs in education and health services (-11K), followed by transportation (-9.7K). Men lost jobs in leisure and hospitality (-32K) and in education and health services (-23K). In the sector where women are most concentrated—education and health services—we are losing the most.

Key Findings:

• Due to strikes in health care, the education and health services sector showed significant job losses. Even if these numbers recover after the strikes conclude, health care employment has been adding jobs at a decreasing pace of 36,000 jobs per month over the last year.
• Black women’s unemployment grew from 6.3 percent in January to 7.1 percent in February, reverting back to its previous trend of an unemployment rate over twice that of White women.

Job losses in education and health care services are devastating to a nation that has long relied on women—especially Black women—to sustain critical care, teaching, and support roles that keep families, communities, and the economy functioning. IWPR is committed to revealing the data behind these trends and ensuring policymakers understand the real impact on women, families, and the care infrastructure our economy depends on.

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The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is the nation’s leading think tank working to win economic equity for all women. Through evidence-based research, policy solutions, and advocacy, IWPR is advancing the power and well-being of women across the US. Learn more at IWPR.org.