MICHAEL BARONE: Perceptions are that Trump’s policies are working.

In contrast to the years of the Obama stimulus program, when the bulk of new jobs came in the public sector, it appears that the increase here is in the private sector. Moody’s Analytics says there were 298,000 new private sector jobs in February, far more than the 189,000 it expected.

Construction jobs were up 58,000, private educational services jobs up 29,000, manufacturing jobs up 28,000. This suggests that lots of employers, small as well as large, are taking the plunge and creating new jobs.

Can I prove that they’re doing so because of perceptions that regulations and taxes will be decreased by the Trump administration? No, and I’m not sure any economist’s statistical model could either. But that sure looks like what’s happening.

The owner of a small business doesn’t take lightly the decision to make new hires — those are real people you’re giving hope to, with the real expectation that you’ll make payroll week after week. The business climate matters a great deal, and maybe we’re finally seeing it turn around.