US employment figures increase

The US Labour Department is reporting that the unemployment rate in that country rose to 8.1 percent in February.



Official figures show that the number of people out of work went up by 651,000 during the month.



The number of job cuts in January was revised up to 655,000 while December\'s losses were pushed up to 681,000.



Jobs were reportedly cut in most sectors, with only government, education and health services adding staff.