COVID-19

6 things to know about the pandemic's impact on US employment

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Image: Unsplash/Andrew Neel

Rakesh Kochhar
Associate Director of Research, Pew Research Center
Jesse Bennett
Research assistant, Pew Research Center
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a chart showing that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp one-year decrease in labor force participation among women and men
2.4 million women and 1.8 million men left the labour force between February 2020 and February 2021. Image: Pew Research Center
a chart showing that labor force participation fell more among Hispanic and Black women in the first year of the pandemic
582,000 Hispanic women and 511,000 Black women left the labour force between February 2020 and February 2021. Image: Pew Research Center
a graph showing that the U.S. unemployment rate may have been higher than it appeared in February 2021, perhaps more than double its level a year ago
U.S. unemployment rate in February 2021 may have been as high as 9.9%, contrary to official reports. Image: Pew Research Center
a chart showing that in February 2021, the unemployment rate for women and men was about 10%, adjusting for labor force exits
The unemployment rate for women climbed from 3.4% in February 2020 to 15.7% in April 2020. Image: Pew Research Center
a chart showing that Black and Hispanic workers continue to face higher unemployment rates than other workers
During this period, Black men (11.6%) were unemployed at a higher rate than other men or women. Image: Pew Research Center
a chart showing that during the COVID-19 pandemic, employment fell by more than 10% among low-wage workers
Workers in low wage jobs were hit hardest during this period. Image: Pew Research Center
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