Industries that lost the biggest share of jobs in April

The impacts of COVID-19 have caused turmoil in employment numbers for another month. The unemployment rate in the United States climbed to 14.7% in April, according to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In addition to overall employment numbers that show the depth of job loss, the BLS uses diffusion indexes measuring changes to employment across private industries to determine the extent of economic strength across job sectors. The higher the number over 50, the more jobs added to industries; the lower the number under 50, the more jobs that shed across a wide number of industries. In April, the diffusion index for the U.S. was 4.8. During the Great Recession, the lowest the index reached was 15.5.

The leisure and hospitality industry was hit hardest by these losses. After losing 459,000 jobs in March, almost half of all remaining leisure and hospitality jobs—7.65 million—were lost in April. Most of these positions were in food services, including cashiers, chefs, and waiters.

To better understand how COVID-19 is impacting employment across America, Stacker used the latest jobs report released by the BLS on May 8, 2020, to identify the industries that lost the biggest percentage share of employment from March to April of this year. A combination of broad and detailed industry groupings is included to demonstrate the range of impact—from groupings like food services and drinking places that employ millions to smaller groups like scenic and sightseeing transportation that employ tens of thousands. While this is the most recent data available, reported figures may lag real employment numbers as new workers file for unemployment on a weekly basis.

Keep reading to see how various industries have been affected by the widespread loss of jobs in the U.S.

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#25. Travel arrangement and reservation services

- April 2020 total employment: 172,400
- March 2020 total employment: 212,400
- 1-month change in employment: -18.8% (40,000 jobs lost)

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#24. Manufacturing: Printing and related support activities

- April 2020 total employment: 334,400
- March 2020 total employment: 413,400
- 1-month change in employment: -19.1% (79,000 jobs lost)

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#23. Manufacturing: Textile product mills

- April 2020 total employment: 88,600
- March 2020 total employment: 109,700
- 1-month change in employment: -19.2% (21,100 jobs lost)

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#22. Vocational rehabilitation services

- April 2020 total employment: 257,900
- March 2020 total employment: 321,800
- 1-month change in employment: -19.9% (63,900 jobs lost)

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#21. Financial activities: Rental and leasing services

- April 2020 total employment: 459,200
- March 2020 total employment: 579,400
- 1-month change in employment: -20.7% (120,200 jobs lost)

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#20. Offices of other health practitioners

- April 2020 total employment: 775,100
- March 2020 total employment: 980,200
- 1-month change in employment: -20.9% (205,100 jobs lost)

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#19. Transportation equipment

- April 2020 total employment: 1,318,500
- March 2020 total employment: 1,739,800
- 1-month change in employment: -24.2% (421,300 jobs lost)

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#18. Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions

- April 2020 total employment: 129,500
- March 2020 total employment: 173,300
- 1-month change in employment: -25.3% (43,800 jobs lost)

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#17. Employment services (temp. agencies, professional employer organizations, employee placement agencies)

- April 2020 total employment: 2,641,700
- March 2020 total employment: 3,587,500
- 1-month change in employment: -26.4% (945,800 jobs lost)

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#16. Air transportation

- April 2020 total employment: 372,000
- March 2020 total employment: 512,700
- 1-month change in employment: -27.4% (140,700 jobs lost)

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#15. Miscellaneous store retailers (i.e. florists, used merchandise stores, and pet supply stores)

- April 2020 total employment: 548,700
- March 2020 total employment: 812,900
- 1-month change in employment: -32.5% (264,200 jobs lost)

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#14. Child day care services

- April 2020 total employment: 683,300
- March 2020 total employment: 1,019,500
- 1-month change in employment: -33.0% (336,200 jobs lost)

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#13. Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores

- April 2020 total employment: 351,000
- March 2020 total employment: 535,900
- 1-month change in employment: -34.5% (184,900 jobs lost)

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#12. Transit and ground passenger transportation

- April 2020 total employment: 318,000
- March 2020 total employment: 503,300
- 1-month change in employment: -36.8% (185,300 jobs lost)

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#11. Manufacturing: Apparel

- April 2020 total employment: 62,400
- March 2020 total employment: 104,600
- 1-month change in employment: -40.3% (42,200 jobs lost)

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#10. Accommodation

- April 2020 total employment: 1,206,000
- March 2020 total employment: 2,045,000
- 1-month change in employment: -41% (839,000 jobs lost)

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#9. Performing arts and spectator sports

- April 2020 total employment: 279,400
- March 2020 total employment: 496,400
- 1-month change in employment: -43.7% (217,000 jobs lost)

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#8. Furniture and home furnishings stores

- April 2020 total employment: 253,000
- March 2020 total employment: 462,000
- 1-month change in employment: -45.2% (209,000 jobs lost)

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#7. Food services and drinking places

- April 2020 total employment: 6,384,300
- March 2020 total employment: 11,875,600
- 1-month change in employment: -46.2% (5,491,300 jobs lost)

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#6. Motion picture and sound recording industries

- April 2020 total employment: 235,800
- March 2020 total employment: 452,300
- 1-month change in employment: -47.9% (216,500 jobs lost)

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#5. Offices of dentists

- April 2020 total employment: 456,000
- March 2020 total employment: 959,300
- 1-month change in employment: -52.5% (503,300 jobs lost)

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#4. Personal and laundry services

- April 2020 total employment: 715,300
- March 2020 total employment: 1,512,200
- 1-month change in employment: -52.7% (796,900 jobs lost)

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#3. Clothing and clothing accessories stores

- April 2020 total employment: 530,000
- March 2020 total employment: 1,269,600
- 1-month change in employment: -58.3% (739,600 jobs lost)

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#2. Amusements, gambling, and recreation

- April 2020 total employment: 715,500
- March 2020 total employment: 1,777,500
- 1-month change in employment: -59.7% (1,062,000 jobs lost)

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#1. Scenic and sightseeing transportation

- April 2020 total employment: 13,900
- March 2020 total employment: 35,400
- 1-month change in employment: -60.7% (21,500 jobs lost)

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