Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2021-04-02

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 916,000 in March, and the unemployment rate edged down to 6.0 percent. These improvements in the labor market reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Job growth was widespread, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, public and private education, and construction. Substantial job losses related to the 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 1.6 million over the past 3 months. However, payroll employment is down by 8.4 million, or 5.5 percent, from the pre-pandemic employment peak in February 2020.