THE Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. employers added 311,000 jobs in February, exceeding economists’ expectations of 225,000. The leisure and hospitality industry saw significant job gains last month, with employers adding 105,000 positions. Education and health services saw a rise in employment in February as well, with employers expanding by 74,000 jobs.

ACCORDING to Robert Half, the national unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in February, up from 3.4 percent in January. The unemployment rate for college-degreed workers who are 25 or older was 2 percent last month, unchanged from January.

INDUSTRIES with the greatest quarter-over-quarter job growth in Q4 2022 were government (37 percent) healthcare and social work (24 percent), professional services (23 percent), administrative services (22 percent) and finance (21 percent), based on similar data from Robert Half. The top job with the highest growth in 2022 was for budget analysts (71 percent).

WHEN WalletHub examined the most federally dependent states — those who receive the most in financial aid such as grants and return on taxes — New Hampshire ranked at No. 23. The Granite State was shown to depend more on the state’s federal funding (ranked No. 5 in the nation), as opposed to the state’s residents (return on taxes paid to the government and people in federal jobs, ranked at No. 18).

IN an August 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 54 percent of Black adults said they had a very or somewhat negative impression of capitalism, up from 40 percent in May 2019. Four in 10 Black adults held a very or somewhat positive view of capitalism in 2022, down from 57 percent in 2019. Roughly 83 percent of Black adults in the survey said the economic system either needs to be completely rebuilt (37 percent) or needs major changes (46 percent). Eleven percent said the system requires only minor changes.