more industries. Though all sectors of the
economy initially laid off workers, most of them
have avoided deep job cuts. Manufacturing,
construction, and professional services like
engineering and architecture, for example, all
added jobs in December.
At the same time, many companies seem
reluctant to sharply ramp up hiring. A
government report Tuesday showed that
employers advertised fewer open jobs in
November than in October. The decline, while
small, was widespread across most industries.
Even now, the nation has nearly 10 million fewer
jobs than it did before the pandemic sent the
economy into a deep recession nearly a year
ago, having recovered just 56% of the jobs lost
in the spring.