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14.6 million private sector jobs lost during second quarter 2020
February 01, 2021
During the second quarter of 2020, the difference between job losses and job gains in the private sector yielded a net employment loss of 14.6 million jobs. From March 2020 to June 2020, there were 20.4 million jobs lost at closing and contracting private-sector establishments. Over this period, there were 5.7 million job gains at opening and expanding private-sector establishments. This is the largest quarterly net job loss recorded in these data (which begin in 1992). Job losses in the second quarter of 2020 were more than 5 times the next largest quarterly job loss of 2.7 million jobs in the first quarter of 2009.
Job gains, job losses, and net employment change, first quarter 2010–second quarter 2020
Quarter
Net employment change
Job gains
Job losses
Total
At expanding establishments
At opening establishments
Total
At contracting establishments
At closing establishments
Mar 2010
-247,000
6,325,000
5,108,000
1,217,000
6,572,000
5,324,000
1,248,000
Jun 2010
698,000
6,995,000
5,674,000
1,321,000
6,297,000
5,090,000
1,207,000
Sep 2010
237,000
6,741,000
5,438,000
1,303,000
6,504,000
5,231,000
1,273,000
Dec 2010
566,000
7,052,000
5,639,000
1,413,000
6,486,000
5,219,000
1,267,000
Mar 2011
334,000
6,540,000
5,322,000
1,218,000
6,206,000
5,025,000
1,181,000
Jun 2011
582,000
6,966,000
5,625,000
1,341,000
6,384,000
5,115,000
1,269,000
Sep 2011
841,000
7,205,000
5,810,000
1,395,000
6,364,000
5,172,000
1,192,000
Dec 2011
335,000
6,865,000
5,503,000
1,362,000
6,530,000
5,273,000
1,257,000
Mar 2012
948,000
7,080,000
5,746,000
1,334,000
6,132,000
5,005,000
1,127,000
Jun 2012
616,000
7,051,000
5,724,000
1,327,000
6,435,000
5,266,000
1,169,000
Sep 2012
252,000
6,881,000
5,571,000
1,310,000
6,629,000
5,430,000
1,199,000
Dec 2012
695,000
7,110,000
5,753,000
1,357,000
6,415,000
5,225,000
1,190,000
Mar 2013
558,000
6,941,000
5,705,000
1,236,000
6,383,000
5,201,000
1,182,000
Jun 2013
674,000
7,152,000
5,830,000
1,322,000
6,478,000
5,271,000
1,207,000
Sep 2013
507,000
7,058,000
5,719,000
1,339,000
6,551,000
5,408,000
1,143,000
Dec 2013
700,000
7,255,000
5,926,000
1,329,000
6,555,000
5,353,000
1,202,000
Mar 2014
419,000
6,953,000
5,687,000
1,266,000
6,534,000
5,380,000
1,154,000
Jun 2014
895,000
7,454,000
6,114,000
1,340,000
6,559,000
5,342,000
1,217,000
Sep 2014
577,000
7,247,000
5,918,000
1,329,000
6,670,000
5,487,000
1,183,000
Dec 2014
1,038,000
7,617,000
6,248,000
1,369,000
6,579,000
5,346,000
1,233,000
Mar 2015
216,000
7,046,000
5,733,000
1,313,000
6,830,000
5,626,000
1,204,000
Jun 2015
849,000
7,580,000
6,235,000
1,345,000
6,731,000
5,540,000
1,191,000
Sep 2015
475,000
7,344,000
5,983,000
1,361,000
6,869,000
5,657,000
1,212,000
Dec 2015
944,000
7,817,000
6,360,000
1,457,000
6,873,000
5,607,000
1,266,000
Mar 2016
243,000
7,149,000
5,864,000
1,285,000
6,906,000
5,702,000
1,204,000
Jun 2016
310,000
7,446,000
6,074,000
1,372,000
7,136,000
5,829,000
1,307,000
Sep 2016
750,000
7,717,000
6,253,000
1,464,000
6,967,000
5,722,000
1,245,000
Dec 2016
329,000
7,423,000
6,012,000
1,411,000
7,094,000
5,795,000
1,299,000
Mar 2017
654,000
7,428,000
6,091,000
1,337,000
6,774,000
5,591,000
1,183,000
Jun 2017
480,000
7,621,000
6,252,000
1,369,000
7,141,000
5,873,000
1,268,000
Sep 2017
-55,000
7,324,000
5,970,000
1,354,000
7,379,000
6,080,000
1,299,000
Dec 2017
933,000
7,801,000
6,366,000
1,435,000
6,868,000
5,571,000
1,297,000
Mar 2018
717,000
7,494,000
6,141,000
1,353,000
6,777,000
5,587,000
1,190,000
Jun 2018
407,000
7,652,000
6,254,000
1,398,000
7,245,000
5,960,000
1,285,000
Sep 2018
79,000
7,506,000
6,126,000
1,380,000
7,427,000
6,104,000
1,323,000
Dec 2018
790,000
7,756,000
6,309,000
1,447,000
6,966,000
5,634,000
1,332,000
Mar 2019
533,000
7,460,000
6,102,000
1,358,000
6,927,000
5,682,000
1,245,000
Jun 2019
171,000
7,637,000
6,253,000
1,384,000
7,466,000
6,105,000
1,361,000
Sep 2019
53,000
7,404,000
6,022,000
1,382,000
7,351,000
6,077,000
1,274,000
Dec 2019
813,000
7,864,000
6,364,000
1,500,000
7,051,000
5,725,000
1,326,000
Mar 2020
-773,000
6,963,000
5,675,000
1,288,000
7,736,000
6,288,000
1,448,000
Jun 2020
-14,617,000
5,749,000
4,469,000
1,280,000
20,366,000
17,470,000
2,896,000
From March 2020 to June 2020, job losses from closing and contracting private-sector increased by 12.6 million from the previous quarter. Job gains at opening and expanding decreased by 1.2 million jobs.
Contracting establishments lost 17.5 million jobs in the second quarter of 2020, an increase of 11.2 million jobs from the prior quarter. In the second quarter of 2020, closing establishments lost 2.9 million jobs, an increase of 1.4 million jobs from the previous quarter.
Job gains at expanding establishments totaled 4.5 million in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of 1.2 million jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 1.3 million of the jobs gained in the second quarter of 2020, little changed from the previous quarter.
United States Department of Labor
