U.S. employers cut jobs last month

WASHINGTON -- U.S. employers cut jobs last month for the first time in more than four years, according to the Labor Department, which showed nervous employers slicing payrolls by 17,000 people. The country hadn't seen such a nationwide job loss since 2003, when employers were struggling to recover from the last previous recession. However, the unemployment rate actually dipped slightly to 4.9 percent, from 5 percent in December, as people left the labor force.