The U.S. temporary help services industry added 16,000 jobs in February when compared to January for a total of almost 2.9 million jobs, and the temp penetration rate rose to 1.91 percent in February from 1.90 percent in the previous month, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry had posting a month-over-month decline in January.

On a year-over-year basis, temporary jobs were up 109,400 in February.

The positive temp number follows what analysts call better-than-expected growth in total U.S. nonfarm employment of 236,000 jobs in February.

In addition, the U.S. jobless rate fell to 7.7 percent in February from 7.9 percent in January. However, the college-level unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent from 3.7 percent in January. The college-level unemployment rate can serve as a proxy for professional employment.

Among industries of note, construction added 48,000 jobs in February, and employment in construction has risen by 151,000 since September, according to the BLS. The healthcare industry added 32,000 jobs in February.

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