The Conference Board's U.S. employment trends index rose in February to a reading of 101.7, its fifth straight monthly increase. January's revised reading was 100.1. The index is up more than 8 percent from a year ago.
 
"In the past half year, the economy has been adding, on average, about 110,000 jobs per month," said Gad Levanon, associate director of macroeconomic research at The Conference Board. "The strong growth in the employment trends index suggests that the pickup in jobs may accelerate in the next couple of quarters. However, with a shrinking government, a stagnant construction sector, and a manufacturing recovery that has only a small impact on overall employment, overall job growth will still be modest."