There's no place to hide, as workers from coast to coast, in almost every sector, are being affected as companies forced to cut their costs slash jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today that the jobless rate rose to 8.1 percent in February, the highest rate in more than 25 years. As the economy shed 651,000 jobs during the month of February, all 50 states reported increased unemployment for the first time on record.

These bleak numbers mean more than 4.4 million people have lost their jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Nearly half (1.99 million) of this staggering job disappearance occurred just within the past three months, and almost three million Americans who have been unemployed for six months or more.

Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis released a statement on the jobs numbers this morning:

"These data do not just represent abstract statistics. Rather, they illustrate the struggles of millions of Americans who do not know how they will raise their families or pay their bills and mortgages...We will continue to do whatever is necessary to break the destructive cycle of job loss in this country and put Americans back to work. That includes our plans to re-start lending for consumers and small businesses, help responsible homeowners pay their mortgages and re-finance their homes, and address the long-term economic challenges we face -- including the high cost of health care, our dependence on oil, and the state of our schools."

Although February's losses were grim, the 651,000 jobs lost last month were actually fewer than the number in each of the past two months, according to revisions reported by BLS today to show an additional 161,000 jobs lost. Some 655,000 jobs were lost in January, and December's decline was revised to 681,000, from 577,000.

The evaporation of over 600,000 jobs in February alone make President Obama's signing of the $787 billion stimulus package to create jobs and cut taxes more relevant and timely than ever. The first tax credits, in the form of reduced paycheck withholdings, should appear on paychecks beginning April 1.

* If you want to find some hopeful news in today's employment report: USA Today points out a couple of bright spots here, as does the NY Times here.