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The monthly jobs report has become a major part of the national economy. Many corporations plan their strategies around them, stocks are held in the balance and consumers are wondering if they should cut back on spending. Before the February unemployment statistics were released, the national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent with 14.8 million Americans out of work.

As many investors were eager to hear the new unemployment rates, stocks in the Dow saw a dramatic increase the night before the release of the report, according to the Associated Press. The advance was able to erase the loss that the market had created so far in 2010, leaving optimism that there could be good things to come for both the job market as well as the economy.

Retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Nordstrom and Target all posted monthly sales that were much higher than analysts had expected, indicating that consumers were getting ready to spend again. Economic experts believe that the job market is what has caused the public to begin to open their wallets again, which was not always the case.

"It used to be that confidence led into actual employment where I think the reverse is true now," Daniel Penrod, senior industry analyst for the California Credit Union League in Ontario, California, told the news provider. "The job market has been so severe nationally that people are really feeling the lumps."

February unemployment figures released

Approximately 36,000 jobs were cut during the month of February, leaving the national unemployment rate unchanged at 9.7 percent. While this number is high, economic experts were predicting the job losses to be at least 50,000, according to The Washington Post. This new figure is a sign that the market is beginning to thaw and that more employers are either hiring or they are retaining more workers.

"Employment is now very close to stabilizing," Paul Ashworth, senior economist at Capital Economics, told the Post. "Although, eight months after the recession in output ended, that is hardly cause for celebration."

Experts also believe that the number of snow storms that affected a large part of the country were to blame for so many employees, such as construction workers, being out of a job. These workers had their hours cut to zero after the majority of the northeast was covered in several feet of snow.

Temporary jobs were one of the big saviors in terms of employment. Temp positions rose by 48,000, and have the potential to lead to a permanent career if the employee impresses upper management. The average workweek for Americans was 33.8 hours, indicating that many Americans are still on an hourly wage.

Additionally, the manufacturing field saw an increase of 1,000 jobs over the past month, which is a good indication for an industry that was greatly affected by the recession. The federal government also added 7,000 jobs, although many were on behalf of the U.S. Census, which is completing their decennial survey.

Many government officials have said they believe that this new report is an indication of the stabilizing economy and a manifestation of how the nation is slowly regaining footing in terms of employment and profits.

"Although the overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically over the past year and appears to be continuing to improve, there will surely continue to be bumps in the road ahead," economic adviser Christina Romer told USA Today.

Despite the unemployment rate staying the same, there is still hope among many government officials and economic analysts that the country is heading in the right direction.