Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2020-07-02

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 4.8 million in June, and the unemployment rate declined by 2.2 percentage points to 11.1 percent. These improvements reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed in March and April due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it. In June, employment continued to rise in several major industry sectors, with the largest gain in leisure and hospitality. Notable gains also occurred in retail trade, education and health services, other services, manufacturing, and professional and business services. To put the June employment gain of 4.8 million in context, substantial job losses related to the coronavirus pandemic started in March, as employment fell by 1.4 million. This was followed by deeper job cuts in April, when payroll employment declined by 20.8 million, as revised. By May, some pandemic- related restrictions on economic activity began to be lifted, and employment rose by 2.7 million, as revised.