Share of U.S. Workers Who Lost Jobs Just Fell to a Record Low

(Bloomberg) -- Americans are staying put in their jobs.

The share of U.S. workers who were unemployed in February after having a job in the previous month slid to 0.96 percent, the lowest in data going back to 1990, according to Labor Department figures released Friday. That number -- covering people who were laid off or fired, or who walked away from jobs and started looking for work again -- indicates companies are loath to lose staff and workers have little desire or ability to leave.

The number indicates a tight labor market, in contrast with other data in the report signaling slack: Lower-than-expected wage growth in the period means those workers weren’t necessarily compensated for their loyalty.

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