Must increase small business jobs: Labor secretary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said February payrolls data showed "stabilization, moderation in the economy," but more work was needed to increase jobs, particularly among small businesses.

Speaking on CNBC television on Friday, she said the moderation of job losses was the result of the Obama administration's stimulus program, which she called a "down payment." More funding was needed in a jobs bill for tax credits for small business and infrastructure construction.

"There are still too many people that don't have jobs," Solis said, adding that the United States still had a long way to go to "get our manufacturing base going."

The Labor Department said earlier that U.S. employers cut a smaller than expected 36,000 jobs in February, leaving the unemployment rate steady at 9.7 percent.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Neil Stempleman)