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BBC News Item 14
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US employers cut their payrolls by 80,000 in March 2008,the biggest job reductionin five years,as fears of a recession have grown, the Labor Department reported Friday.
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The weak showing defied economists who had been expecting an increase of about50,000 jobs.
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The nation's unemployment rate also jumped by 0.3 percent to 5.1 percentthe highest since September 2005 when it was also 5.1 percent.
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"In March
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job losses occurred in construction,manufacturing and employment services,"said the report"Employment in healthcare,food services,and mining remained on an upward trendMeanwhile
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job losses in both January and February had been revised to 76, 000 jobs,and a total of 232, 000 jobs were cut in the last three months.
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Their average hourlyearnings rose by 0.3 percent to 17. 86 dollars,in line with economists' expectations.
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Over the last 12 months, wages increased by 3. 6 percent.
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Fears that the economy couldslide into a recession have been increasing as economic growth nearly halted in the final quarter of last year.
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