Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2021-06-04

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 559,000 in May, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 5.8 percent. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, in public and private education, and in health care and social assistance. Substantial job losses related to the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic first occurred in March (-1.7 million) and April (-20.7 million) of 2020. As economic activity resumed, employment increased by 12.6 million from May through November but declined again in December (-306,000) following a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. Job growth restarted in January of this year, and nonfarm payroll employment has increased by 2.4 million over the past 5 months. However, payroll employment is down by 7.6 million, or 5.0 percent, from the pre-pandemic employment peak in February 2020. Employment in leisure and hospitality rose by 292,000 in May, as pandemic-related restrictions continued to ease in some parts of the country.