The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it have taken a devastating economic toll, and that toll is reflected in the April employment picture.
Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 20.5 million in April, and the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In April, the unemployment rate increased by 10.3 percentage points, the highest rate and the largest one-month increase in recorded history of seasonally adjusted data, which dates back to January 1948.
Employment fell sharply in all major industry sectors, with particularly heavy job losses in leisure and hospitality.
