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The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) monthly jobs report shows that the economy continued to inch back between May and June 2020, gaining 4.8 million jobs. This means that only 1 in 3 (34%) of the 22.2 million jobs lost in March and April due to the COVID-19 crisis have returned. Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) of the jobs that returned in June are in leisure and hospitality (which includes businesses like bars and restaurants) and retail trade. These numbers reflect the state of the economy in early June, before some states re-imposed restrictions in response to surging coronavirus cases. Now that many businesses are being forced to close, the jobs that came back last month are at risk of being lost again. June’s “recovery” is particularly fragile for women, who accounted for 6 in 10 of the jobs gained last month, and gained the majority of jobs in leisure and hospitality and in retail trade. Even after June’s gains, Black women and Latinas continue to be hardest hit by the economic crisis: While the overall unemployment rate dropped to 11.1% in June, approximately 1 in 7 Black women (14.0%) and Latinas (15.3%) remained unemployed.
Note: NWLC’s monthly jobs day analyses are generally not updated after publication and are provided for archival purposes. Please visit our main jobs day page for the most up-to-date analyses.