D.C. Region's Jobless Rate Up Sharply

The Washington Post reports:

The District, Maryland and Virginia continued shedding jobs at a rapid pace in February, according to government data released yesterday, with D.C.'s unemployment rate rising to nearly 10 percent.

Unlike the rest of the country, the area benefits from a growing federal workforce, which has helped shield it from the full brunt of job losses in manufacturing, retail and other private sector industries. Still, the unemployment rate in the District rose to 9.9 percent, up from 9.2 percent in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. City officials said late last year that they didn't expect the rate to get that high until 2010.

Proving that government money can't prop up an economy.