COVID-19 ends longest employment recovery and expansion in CES history, causing unprecedented job losses in 2020

In March and April 2020, the longest employment recovery and expansion in U.S. history abruptly ended, with total nonfarm employment falling sharply because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the efforts to contain it. Job losses were historic and widespread. Although state and local government restrictions on businesses and individuals began to ease somewhat after April 2020, total nonfarm employment ended the year 10.0 million below its February peak. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, nonfarm payroll employment in the United States declined by 9.4 million in 2020,1 the largest calendar-year decline in the history of the CES employment series.2 (See chart 1.) As with virtually all economic activity in 2020, this decline was due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including pandemic-driven social and behavioral changes and government restrictions on business activity.3 While the job losses were widespread,