The U.S. economy added a robust 236,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent.
The government does one survey to learn how many jobs were created and another survey to determine the unemployment rate. Those surveys can sometimes produce different results, although in February they pointed in the same direction.
One is called the payroll survey. It asks mostly large companies and government agencies how many people they employed during the month. This survey produces the number of jobs gained or lost. In February, the payroll survey showed that companies added 246,000 jobs, and federal, state and local governments shed 10,000.
The other is the household survey. Government workers ask whether the adults in a household have a job. Those who don't are asked whether they're looking for one. If they are, they're considered unemployed. If they aren't, they're not considered part of the work force and aren't counted as unemployed. The household survey produces each month's unemployment rate.
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