Abridged: iStockAnalyst

GLENVIEW, IL --The U.S. labor market got uglier with the recent report that employers cut 651,000 more jobs last month and the national unemployment rate swelled to 8.1%, its highest in 25 years. For the first time since numbers were tracked in 1939, the economy dropped more than 600,000 jobs for each of three months in a row. Since the recession officially began in December 2007, U.S. employers have eliminated more than 4.4 million positions, 3.3 million in the last six months.
It's been a long time since we had labor conditions this bad. The 8.1% seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was the highest since December 1983. A broader measure of joblessness -- including job seekers who can't find work, those settling for part-time jobs and those who have given up looking -- soared to a record 14.8% in February from 8.4% the month before the recession began.
Among other news from the Labor report: Year-to-year job losses are accelerating. Employers had 3% fewer jobs last month. Private-sector reductions are even greater. More than 2.9 million Americans were out of work and searching for more than 27 weeks. These days, the high unemployment provides ample choices for employers in the market for workers, but for job seekers, increased competition can be daunting.