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[Zephyr]

Gallup U.S. Job Creation Index
Released On 3/5/2014 8:30:00 AM For Feb, 2014
Prior Actual
level 19 21
Highlights
In February, Gallup's U.S. Job Creation Index improved slightly in February to plus 21 from plus 19 in January. Government workers report improved hiring conditions at their workplaces, but private-sector workers remain the most positive. The index now exceeds the plus 20 average for 2013 and is the highest February reading since the beginning of the 2007 to 2009 recession.

Gallup's Job Creation Index is a measure of net hiring in the U.S., with the monthly average based on a nationally representative sample of more than 15,000 full- and part-time workers. February's plus 21 index score reflects 36 percent of Americans saying their employer is hiring workers and expanding its workforce, and 15 percent saying their employer is letting workers go and reducing the size of its workforce. Forty-three percent of workers said their employer is not changing the size of its workforce, identical to the percentage found in the previous three months. Reported hiring increased by one percentage point from January, while employee-reduction fell by one point. The combination of these changes resulted in the overall index's increase of two points from January.

Job creation as reported by federal, state and local government employees increased in February to plus 13, but the government job creation index remains lower than the plus 23 found in the private sector. The government index for February improved from the plus 8 measured in January, and is the best score since September 2008 for this group -- only slightly below the high of plus 16 found in August 2008, when Gallup first measured government job creation.

State and local government workers continue to report better net hiring conditions than federal workers do, but net hiring increased at least marginally across all levels of government in February. Local government job creation increased six points from January, while state government job creation increased two points. The federal government job creation index increased five points, but continues to be negative.