Washington, March 5 (DPA) The US jobless rate remained at 9.7 percent in February as employers shed 34,000 jobs during the month, the US Labour Department reported Friday.

The department said severe snow storms in parts of the country may have prevented some new hiring. Construction and information sectors saw continuing job losses, while manufacturing and retail industries held steady.

The report was slightly better than most economists expected. A survey by Bloomberg News had predicted the unemployment rate would climb to 9.8 percent on the month.

Hiring of temporary workers increased by 47,000 jobs, considered a sign that the struggling labour market could soon be on the mend.

More than eight million jobs have been lost since the US entered a deep recession in December 2007.

The past two months' numbers were revised slightly: 26,000 jobs were lost in January, up from an earlier forecast of 20,000, while 105,000 jobs were shed in December, down from 150,000.