Apr. 2--The St. Louis region recorded its highest jobless rate in a quarter-century in February as the deep recession tightened its grip.

And while there may be signs that the grip won't get much tighter, experts say, don't expect the job market to loosen up any time soon.

The number of St. Louisans who wanted work but couldn't find it in February jumped by 44,000 from the same month a year ago, to 131,200, according to figures released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When seasonal variations are taken into effect, that translates into an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, up two-tenths of a point from January and its highest level since April 1984, when St. Louis was emerging from years of high unemployment in the early 1980s.

There have been a few signs of light lately in the broader economy. Some recent reports suggest the housing and manufacturing sectors may be bottoming out. But it will take some time to translate into new jobs, said Russ Signorino, a labor market analyst and vice president of research for the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

"We're not out of the woods yet," he said. "And it usually takes the labor market five or six months to recover even after the economy itself has turned around."

There's some reason to hope, though. The February numbers likely did not see much impact from the government's $787 billion stimulus package, passed that month. And there have been fewer mass layoffs reported in recent weeks.

Still, the February numbers were grim. A separate survey of employers found the region shed 29,300 jobs over the last year, with nearly every corner of the economy suffering. Only information, government and health and education grew, while nearly one in 12 local factory jobs disappeared.

Something to watch, Signorino said, will be how seasonal and tourism-related companies that typically staff up for the summer are acting this spring. Six Flags and the St. Louis Zoo, for instance, have been holding job fairs, he noted.

"As far as how many people they hire," he said, "we'll see."

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