Payrolls sink 651,000, jobless rate soars to 8.1%

The U.S. economy lost 651,000 jobs in February, the fourth month in a row where job losses were near or above 600,000.

The unemployment rate soared to 8.1% in February, the highest rate in over 25 years.

...

Payrolls fell by 655,000 in January and by 681,000 in December, revised down by 161,000 from previous estimates.