Job Losses Set to Test Consumer Confidence and Spending

The latest labor market figures delivered an unexpected turn, with payrolls shrinking in February and the unemployment rate ticking higher, raising new questions about whether consumer confidence and spending power can maintain their steadiness.

The Employment Situation Summary released Friday (March 6) by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that nonfarm employment fell by roughly 92,000 positions during February, a reversal from January’s gain of 126,000 jobs. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%, representing 7.6 million unemployed Americans, about 203,000 more than in the previous month.

Although the headline decline after months of improvement appears abrupt, several temporary factors shaped the data. Healthcare alone accounted for roughly 28,000 lost positions as strike activity interrupted payrolls. The sector had previously been an engine of job creation, adding an average of 36,000 positions monthly over the prior year and contributing 77,000 jobs in January.

The pullback extended beyond healthcare. Goods-producing firms shed about 25,000 jobs, including declines of 11,000 in construction and 12,000 in manufacturing. Service-providing industries also weakened, losing roughly 61,000 positions as leisure and hospitality contracted by 27,000, and transportation and warehousing declined by more than 11,000. Retail and wholesale trade managed increases of 2,300 and 6,000 jobs, respectively.

Federal employment continued a longer downward trend. Since reaching a peak in October 2024, federal payrolls have fallen by about 330,000 jobs, a contraction of roughly 11%.

The surprise in the government data arrived against a backdrop of relatively steady consumer sentiment readings, most recently through the PYMNTS Consumer Expectations Index, which seeks to measure not simply how consumers feel about the economy but whether they believe they possess the financial capacity to spend.

PCEI Signals Stability Despite Labor Noise

The February PCEI reading showed that consumers reported broadly stable financial resilience. The index combines three components, spanning personal financial resilience, macroeconomic and buying climate, and labor market security, to gauge whether households believe they can spend and whether they should.

Across the overall sample, the index registered 60.1 in February, slightly above prior months and comfortably above the neutral threshold of 50.

That stability suggests that households don’t equate labor market turbulence as a direct threat to their personal finances. Average hourly earnings increased by 0.4% during February and have risen 3.8% over the past year, outpacing the most recent inflation reading of roughly 2.4%.

Yet the PCEI data also revealed that confidence remains conditional. Consumers reported that they can manage debt obligations and maintain basic financial buffers, but assessments of current financial conditions remain closer to a neutral reading.

Labor Security High, Mobility Weak

Perhaps the most revealing insight from the PCEI concerned labor mobility, which may see some shifting in sentiment on the heels of the latest official data. While consumers generally reported confidence in maintaining their current employment, they expressed less assurance that they could quickly replace lost income if conditions deteriorate.

The labor market security subindex improved to 67.6 in February, signaling strong perceived job stability.

However, job mobility indicators remained below neutral, typically in the mid-40s to upper-40s range. This pattern indicated that workers feel safer remaining in their current positions rather than changing employers or seeking new opportunities.

Such caution helps explain why consumer spending can remain steady even as employment headlines fluctuate. Workers who feel secure but immobile are less likely to accelerate spending, yet they are also unlikely to retreat unless layoffs intensify.

Spending Power Divides Along Financial Lines

The PCEI data also highlighted a widening separation in consumer financial conditions. Households that do not live paycheck to paycheck reported index readings in the low 60s, signaling durable optimism about spending power.

By contrast, households struggling to meet monthly obligations reported readings near the low 40s, indicating at least some financial strain.

Labor data may introduce uncertainty at the macro level, yet consumer behavior will continue to hinge primarily on household cash flow resilience.

As long as workers believe their income remains secure, spending can and likely will persist. The question now is whether the latest employment surprise represents a temporary disruption or a signal of a labor market losing its earlier momentum.