Lack of hiring reflects coronavirus damage
The increase of 49,000 positions in January made scarcely a dent in the nearly 10 million jobs that remain lost.
WASHINGTON » America’s employers barely added jobs last month, underscoring the viral pandemic’s ongoing grip on the economy and likely adding momentum to the Biden administration’s push for a bold rescue aid package.
The increase of just 49,000 positions in January made scarcely any dent in the nearly 10 million jobs that remain lost since the virus intensified nearly a year ago. The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April.
The unemployment rate fell sharply in January from 6.7% to 6.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. Most of the drop occurred because some people out of work found jobs, but others stopped looking and were no longer counted as unemployed.
Even last month’s small job gain benefited from a technical adjustment to the government’s data. And without an increase of 80,000 temporary jobs, the economy would have posted a net loss.
“What you have is a lousy report that shows a stalling recovery,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at payroll processor ADP.
Soaring new virus infections in late fall forced tighter business restrictions in California, New York, Virginia and other states, reducing the need for workers. Consumers have also been less willing to dine out, travel or go to public venues as the pandemic persists. Some business closures, notably in California, have since been eased, but too late to affect last month’s jobs data.
Economists are increasingly hopeful that as vaccinations reach a critical mass in the coming months and the government provides further stimulus, the economy and the job market will strengthen faster than they did after previous recessions. Bank of America estimates that growth could reach 6% this year, which would be the fastest since 1984.
“The tunnel we’re in does have a light,” Richardson said. “It’s later this year when the U.S. economy is reopened, and after widespread inoculation and maybe stimulus. This is not the end of the story by any means. But it does show the recovery could use more support.”
Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, forecasts that 6.6 million jobs could be regained by the end of this year, though that would still leave the U.S. economy several million short of its pre-pandemic level.
Last month, service industries again posted the sharpest job losses as millions of consumers continue to hunker down at home. Within the service sector, restaurants, bars and hotels slashed 61,000 jobs. Retailers cut nearly 38,000 jobs. Employment in transportation and warehousing fell by 28,000.
Women, who have been disproportionately hurt since the job market collapsed in early spring, have been leaving the work force, often to care for children at home attending school online. That pattern continued in January. At the same time, the number of men with jobs increased last month.
As hiring has slowed, layoffs have kept mounting. Applications for unemployment benefits, though declining, remained at an elevated 779,000 last week.
The hardships that millions of Americans are suffering have fueled President Joe Biden’s push for a $1.9 trillion rescue package, which would provide $1,400 checks for most individuals and a $400 weekly unemployment payment on top of state benefits.