Employment by Industry in April

More than 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs in April, including 18.1 million in service industries and 2.4 million in goods-producing industries such as manufacturing and construction, according to data just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest job losses came on top of 870,000 lost in March, following a gain of 230,000 in nonfarm employment in February before the government shut down nonessential businesses to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Obviously, employment in service industries such as bars and restaurants was hit much harder in April than jobs in construction and manufacturing, some of which were considered essential and were less affected by the shutdowns .