Economy beat expectations with 379,000 jobs in February, led by rebound at restaurants and bars

The economy added 379,000 jobs in February and unemployment ticked down to 6.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, as the pandemic receded and commerce revived faster than projected.

Forecasters had anticipated fewer than 200,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs.

“In the coming weeks and months, as weather improves across the country, businesses welcome back more customers, and more vaccinations are administered, we should see a more substantial pick-up in hiring,” said Bankrate.com's senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick.