Over 651,000 jobs were lost in February, the Bureau of Labor Stastics announced this morning. Approximately 8.1% of our workforce is, well, out of work.

The nation’s unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent in February, the Labor Department reported this morning, adding another grim indicator to an economic picture already darkened this week.

More than 650,000 people lost their jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate up from 7.6 percent in January.

The jobless rate stood at its highest point since 1983.

The expectation of another reported increase in unemployment already was sending stock futures lower this morning in advance of trading on the final day of a week in which key indices had reached their lowest levels in more than a decade.

The Dow is down another 78 points since yesterday’s abortion of a close.