source: AXIOS 6/6/22

Where the jobs moved

Data: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios

More warehouse workers, fewer waiters. More health store employees, fewer in public schools.

  • The job market is nearly back to full strength, but it looks strikingly different, Axios’ Courtenay Brown writes.

Why it matters: Pandemic-era disruptions have shaken up the composition of the labor force — with big implications for how industries will have to adjust to a longer-term worker shortfall.

State of play: With May’s payroll gains, roughly 96% of jobs lost during the pandemic are back.

  • Stunning stat: The private sector has recovered 99% of jobs lost, but the public sector has regained just 58%. Businesses can adjust compensation and policies quickly. Governments were slower.
  • Other industries have grown: Transportation and warehousing (package couriers and truckers) have never made up a bigger share of the workforce — reflecting the historic appetite for goods.