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This year has seen tremendous job growth since last year’s pandemic, and we saw even more growth in June of 2021 with a total of 850,000 new jobs added. This growth adds to a total increase of 15.6 million since April of 2020; however, this number is still down by 6.8 million from the pre-pandemic levels in February of 2020.
Despite the addition of these jobs, the unemployment rate in June showed a slight increase from the previous month with 5.9% unemployment rate (9.5 unemployed persons) versus May’s 5.8%. The number of long-term unemployed persons (those jobless for 27+ weeks) also increased in June of 2021 by 233,000 people to 4 million. These long-term unemployed persons accounted for nearly half of the total unemployed persons in the U.S at 42.1 percent. We could start to see these numbers reduced as extra benefits are phased out.
Among the unemployed, the number of “job leavers” – unemployed persons who quit or voluntarily left their previous job and began looking for new employment —increased by 164,000 to 942,000 in June of 2021. So why is the number of voluntary job leavers increasing? Many are calling this phenomenon “The Great Resignation”. The pandemic changed many individuals’ mindsets, leading them to seek out a job that suits their priorities, whether it’s more money, more appreciation, more flexibility, more happiness, or all of the above.
Of the total 850,000 jobs added to the market in June of 2021, 343,000 of those were in leisure and hospitality. Over half of the job gain was in food and drink services as companies continue to prepare for high foot-traffic this summer as pandemic restrictions continue to ease up.
Education also saw an increase in jobs as both public and private school boards prepare for the return of in-person learning. Employment rose by 155,000 in local government education, 75,000 in state government education, and 39,000 in private education.
June also saw an increase in professional and business services by 72,000 jobs with more than 33,000 of that job growth being in temporary help services.
JWilliams Staffing is here to help your company navigate the workforce. We have a strong network of job seekers who are ready to work, and expert recruiters who carefully screen, train, and identify the cross application of skillsets in candidates necessary to excel in their career. Learn more about our temporary and direct hire staffing services today!
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021b, July 2). The Employment Situation - June 2021 [Press release]. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
