COVID didn’t hit all jobs equally: sector employment since 2020 [OC]

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Employment Statistics)

Data source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Current Employment Statistics
https://www.bls.gov/ces/

Direct data access:
https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/ce/
Visualization: R

COVID-19 didn’t hit every part of the labor market the same way.

This visualization tracks employment across four sectors—Leisure & Hospitality, Retail Trade, Professional Services, and Information—indexed to February 2020 = 100.

By 2026 vs. pre-COVID levels:

• Information: +73%
• Professional Services: +55%
• Retail Trade: +16%
• Leisure & Hospitality: +9%

Recovery speed also differed:

• Information: ~1 month to recover to 95% of pre-COVID employment
• Professional Services: ~3 months
• Retail Trade: ~6 months
• Leisure & Hospitality: ~14 months

The pandemic shock ended up accelerating structural changes in the economy, especially the shift toward digital and knowledge-based sectors.

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