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Spotlight on Statistics

February 2012

BLS Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

Chart Data

Different Effects on Different Industries

Percent change in employment, at annual rate, selected industries, six most recent recessions, 1973–2009
Industry	Recession period
Industry	Nov 1973 – Mar 1975	Jan 1980 – Jul 1980	Jul 1981 – Nov 1982	Jul 1990 – Mar 1991	Mar 2001 – Nov 2001	Dec 2007 – Jun 2009
Construction	-10.9	-11.5	-6.2	-11.0	-1.7	-13.7
Manufacturing	-7.8	-10.2	-8.4	-4.7	-9.7	-10.0
Retail trade	0.4	-1.5	-0.3	-2.6	-2.0	-4.5
Financial activities	1.2	2.9	0.7	-0.6	0.9	-3.9
Professional and business services	1.4	1.5	0.5	-2.8	-5.7	-6.0
Education and health services	3.5	3.8	1.9	5.2	3.9	2.2
NOTE: Because recessions vary in length, the percentage changes shown in the chart are each calculated across a different number of months for each recession and then converted to percentages expressed on an annualized basis.

Source: Current Employment Statistics | Chart

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