US gains 379,000 jobs as more states reopen economies

Number was the largest gains recorded since November but US is still 10m jobs short of position pre-pandemic

The US economy bounced back strongly in February, adding 379,000 jobs as more states reopened for business and more vaccines against the coronavirus became available.

The number was the largest gains the Department of Labor has recorded since November and came after jobs were lost in December and a lackluster January report when just 49,000 new jobs were added. The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 6.2%.