Retail employment up

A strong report on Friday from the Labor Department shows that retail employment was up 51,100 jobs in February on the heels of a gain of 52,100 in January.



Compared with February 2015, retail jobs were up by 247,300. The numbers exclude gasoline stations, automobiles and restaurants.



“Weather has a serious impact on the retail industry, and when cold winter weather finally made its appearance shoppers headed to stores and brought shopping patterns to a good level,” said National Retail Federation chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “This solid report shows that the consumer is confident and continuing to shop.”



Clothing stores saw significant changes with a gain of 11,100 jobs, reflecting the arrival of sustained winter weather, the NRF noted.



The Labor Department reported that total nonfarm payrolls grew 242,000 in February, and that unemployment was 4.9 %, unchanged from January.