Many individuals have been riding the job market for over a year and a half, waiting for a sign of a improvement. Although the unemployment rate has dropped from its highest rate of 10.1% in October, 2009, there are still many people wondering when the market will get back to what it was before the financial crisis.

The month of February saw 36,000 jobs lost, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While 36,000 may seem like a high number, some business analysts had predicted that it would be at least 50,000, indicating that things may not be as bad as once thought, according to the Washington Post.

Additionally, Barack Obama said in a statement that the harsh winter storms the East Coast has been getting may have contributed to those figures, as individuals with careers in construction may have not been able to retain work as a result of the excessive snow.

Women were also seen to be the winners in the career statistics, as only 8% of women are unemployed, compared to 10% of males.