The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes industry-level data (table B1) in its monthly jobs report. That data shows which industries are recovering jobs more quickly and those that are slower to recover.
It is clear that jobs losses are heavily concentrated in service industries.
When looking at the higher-level industry data, it is clear that jobs losses are heavily concentrated in service industries. More than 82 percent of the jobs lost since February are service jobs. Almost 11 percent are in goods-producing industries and about 7 percent of the remaining job losses are in government. In this analysis, goods-producing industries are the top of the “K” while services are the bottom.
| Industry | % of Total Jobs Lost |
|---|---|
| Goods-producing | 10.8% |
| Mining and logging | 0.8% |
| Construction | 3.7% |
| Manufacturing | 6.2% |
| Durable goods | 4.3% |
| Nondurable goods | 1.9% |
| Private service-providing | 82.1% |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 11.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.8% |
| Retail trade | 5.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3.3% |
| Utilities | 0.1% |
| Information | 2.7% |
| Financial activities | 1.7% |
| Professional and business services | 12.8% |
| Education and health services | 12.6% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 35.8% |
| Other services | 4.6% |
| Government | 7.2% |
However, the “K” exists within these sectors. For instance, while on average goods-producing industries have lost about 6 percent of their workforce since February, mining and logging is down almost 14 percent. The rest of the goods-producing industries have lost between 5 and 6 percent of their jobs.
The “K” is more pronounced within service-providing jobs. The total number of service jobs is down almost 9 percent compared to February. But on the top of the “K” within services are utilities jobs which are down about 1 percent, financial activities jobs down 2 percent, and retail jobs down 4 percent. Meanwhile, leisure and hospitality jobs are down about 25 percent.
Goods-producing and Service-providing Industries
Key:
| Top of “K” |
| Bottom of “K” |
| Industry | Jobs Lost Feb. – Aug. (thousands) | % of Feb. Jobs Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | -11,549 | -7.6% |
| Goods-producing | -1,242 | -5.9% |
| Mining and logging | -97 | -13.6% |
| Construction | -425 | -5.6% |
| Manufacturing | -720 | -5.6% |
| Durable goods | -496 | -6.2% |
| Nondurable goods | -224 | -4.7% |
| Service-providing | -9,476 | -8.7% |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | -1,371 | -4.9% |
| Wholesale trade | -328 | -5.5% |
| Retail trade | -655 | -4.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | -381 | -6.7% |
| Utilities | -7 | -1.3% |
| Information | -312 | -10.8% |
| Financial activities | -191 | -2.2% |
| Professional and business services | -1,475 | -6.8% |
| Education and health services | -1,457 | -5.9% |
| Leisure and hospitality | -4,139 | -24.5% |
| Other services | -531 | -8.9% |
| Government | -831 | -3.7% |
The BLS data drills down deeper into sub-sectors. A look at this more detailed data shows the “K” is more prominent among these sub-sectors. There are 16 sub-sectors whose job losses still exceed 20 percent of their February levels. There are also 16 sub-sectors that have added jobs since February. These sectors are scattered across goods and service producing businesses and there is a good deal of dispersion among them.
There are 16 industries with jobs losses still exceeding 20%, and 16 with job gains since February.
For instance, motion picture and sound recording has lost a stunning 50 percent of its jobs, performing arts and spectator sports 46 percent, and scenic sightseeing transportation 43 percent. The 20 percent loss in food and drinking places is less than half of these harder-hit industries.
On the upside, general merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters have added more than 10 percent to their workforce. Couriers and messengers are up over 8 percent and building material and garden supply stores and miscellaneous computer and electronic products are both up over 6 percent. A table with all the sub-sectors is below.
The “K” recovery is going to require Congress to craft a targeted relief package in its phase four bill. It will need to aid those industries at the bottom of the “K” because these industries are likely to lag behind as long as the pandemic persists.
Industries by Sub-Sector
Key:
| Job Gains |
| >20% Job Loss |
| Industry | Feb. 2020 Jobs (thousands) | Aug. 2020 Jobs (thousands) | Change from Feb. (thousands) | % Change from Feb. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | 152,463 | 140,914 | -11,549 | -7.6% |
| Total private | 129,718 | 119,000 | -10,718 | -8.3% |
| Goods-producing | 21,205 | 19,963 | -1,242 | -5.9% |
| Mining and logging | 714 | 617 | -97 | -13.6% |
| Logging | 55 | 50 | -4 | -7.7% |
| Mining | 660 | 566 | -93 | -14.2% |
| Oil and gas extraction | 157 | 154 | -3 | -1.9% |
| Mining, except oil and gas | 189 | 180 | -9 | -4.6% |
| Coal mining | 50 | 46 | -5 | -9.5% |
| Metal ore mining | 41 | 41 | 0 | 0.2% |
| Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying | 97 | 94 | -4 | -4.0% |
| Support activities for mining | 315 | 233 | -82 | -26.0% |
| Construction | 7,639 | 7,214 | -425 | -5.6% |
| Construction of buildings | 1,689 | 1,611 | -78 | -4.6% |
| Residential building | 841 | 820 | -21 | -2.5% |
| Nonresidential building | 848 | 791 | -57 | -6.7% |
| Heavy and civil engineering construction | 1,099 | 1,010 | -89 | -8.1% |
| Specialty trade contractors | 4,851 | 4,593 | -258 | -5.3% |
| Residential specialty trade contractors | 2,125 | 2,059 | -66 | -3.1% |
| Nonresidential specialty trade contractors | 2,726 | 2,534 | -192 | -7.1% |
| Manufacturing | 12,852 | 12,132 | -720 | -5.6% |
| Durable goods | 8,058 | 7,562 | -496 | -6.2% |
| Wood products | 411 | 389 | -22 | -5.4% |
| Nonmetallic mineral products | 426 | 398 | -27 | -6.4% |
| Primary metals | 373 | 338 | -35 | -9.4% |
| Fabricated metal products | 1,484 | 1,388 | -96 | -6.5% |
| Machinery | 1,110 | 1,037 | -73 | -6.6% |
| Computer and electronic products | 1,098 | 1,086 | -12 | -1.1% |
| Computer and peripheral equipment | 169 | 170 | 1 | 0.4% |
| Communications equipment | 85 | 83 | -2 | -2.4% |
| Semiconductors and electronic components | 378 | 372 | -6 | -1.6% |
| Electronic instruments | 433 | 426 | -7 | -1.6% |
| Miscellaneous computer and electronic products | 33 | 35 | 2 | 6.3% |
| Electrical equipment and appliances | 405 | 379 | -25 | -6.2% |
| Transportation equipment | 1,743 | 1,600 | -143 | -8.2% |
| Motor vehicles and parts | 999 | 905 | -94 | -9.4% |
| Furniture and related products | 386 | 354 | -32 | -8.3% |
| Miscellaneous durable goods manufacturing | 623 | 593 | -30 | -4.8% |
| Nondurable goods | 4,794 | 4,570 | -224 | -4.7% |
| Food manufacturing | 1,655 | 1,605 | -50 | -3.0% |
| Textile mills | 107 | 91 | -16 | -14.6% |
| Textile product mills | 111 | 102 | -9 | -8.4% |
| Apparel | 105 | 86 | -19 | -17.8% |
| Paper and paper products | 364 | 355 | -9 | -2.4% |
| Printing and related support activities | 417 | 360 | -57 | -13.6% |
| Petroleum and coal products | 114 | 104 | -10 | -9.1% |
| Chemicals | 851 | 840 | -11 | -1.3% |
| Plastics and rubber products | 746 | 726 | -20 | -2.7% |
| Miscellaneous nondurable goods manufacturing | 324 | 301 | -23 | -7.1% |
| Private service-providing | 108,513 | 99,037 | -9,476 | -8.7% |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 27,830 | 26,459 | -1,371 | -4.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 5,934 | 5,606 | -328 | -5.5% |
| Durable goods | 3,221 | 3,048 | -173 | -5.4% |
| Nondurable goods | 2,180 | 2,055 | -126 | -5.8% |
| Electronic markets and agents and brokers | 533 | 504 | -29 | -5.5% |
| Retail trade | 15,672 | 15,017 | -655 | -4.2% |
| Motor vehicle and parts dealers | 2,064 | 1,925 | -138 | -6.7% |
| Automobile dealers | 1,309 | 1,203 | -106 | -8.1% |
| Other motor vehicle dealers | 166 | 153 | -13 | -7.7% |
| Auto parts, accessories, and tire stores | 589 | 569 | -19 | -3.3% |
| Furniture and home furnishings stores | 471 | 407 | -64 | -13.5% |
| Electronics and appliance stores | 475 | 430 | -45 | -9.5% |
| Building material and garden supply stores | 1,309 | 1,389 | 80 | 6.1% |
| Food and beverage stores | 3,090 | 3,126 | 36 | 1.2% |
| Health and personal care stores | 1,058 | 971 | -88 | -8.3% |
| Gasoline stations | 947 | 918 | -29 | -3.1% |
| Clothing and clothing accessories stores | 1,289 | 917 | -372 | -28.9% |
| Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores | 550 | 445 | -105 | -19.1% |
| General merchandise stores | 3,047 | 3,218 | 172 | 5.6% |
| Department stores | 1,079 | 1,051 | -27 | -2.5% |
| General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters | 1,968 | 2,167 | 199 | 10.1% |
| Miscellaneous store retailers | 820 | 724 | -97 | -11.8% |
| Nonstore retailers | 551 | 546 | -5 | -0.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,678 | 5,297 | -381 | -6.7% |
| Air transportation | 511 | 403 | -108 | -21.1% |
| Rail transportation | 160 | 145 | -15 | -9.1% |
| Water transportation | 65 | 55 | -10 | -14.9% |
| Truck transportation | 1,527 | 1,450 | -78 | -5.1% |
| Transit and ground passenger transportation | 508 | 348 | -160 | -31.5% |
| Pipeline transportation | 51 | 50 | -1 | -1.4% |
| Scenic and sightseeing transportation | 37 | 21 | -16 | -43.3% |
| Support activities for transportation | 764 | 681 | -83 | -10.9% |
| Couriers and messengers | 848 | 923 | 76 | 8.9% |
| Warehousing and storage | 1,208 | 1,222 | 14 | 1.1% |
| Utilities | 546 | 539 | -7 | -1.3% |
| Information | 2,894 | 2,582 | -312 | -10.8% |
| Publishing industries, except Internet | 770 | 734 | -36 | -4.7% |
| Motion picture and sound recording industries | 456 | 228 | -228 | -50.0% |
| Broadcasting, except Internet | 263 | 244 | -20 | -7.5% |
| Telecommunications | 701 | 682 | -18 | -2.6% |
| Data processing, hosting and related services | 350 | 339 | -11 | -3.1% |
| Other information services | 354 | 356 | 2 | 0.5% |
| Financial activities | 8,845 | 8,654 | -191 | -2.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 6,486 | 6,465 | -22 | -0.3% |
| Monetary authorities – central bank | 19 | 20 | 1 | 2.6% |
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 2,681 | 2,660 | -21 | -0.8% |
| Depository credit intermediation | 1,788 | 1,763 | -25 | -1.4% |
| Commercial banking | 1,394 | 1,377 | -17 | -1.2% |
| Nondepository credit intermediation | 587 | 585 | -2 | -0.3% |
| Activities related to credit intermediation | 305 | 311 | 6 | 2.0% |
| Securities, commodity contracts, investments, and funds and trusts | 969 | 970 | 1 | 0.1% |
| Insurance carriers and related activities | 2,818 | 2,816 | -2 | -0.1% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 2,359 | 2,189 | -169 | -7.2% |
| Real estate | 1,750 | 1,689 | -61 | -3.5% |
| Rental and leasing services | 585 | 477 | -107 | -18.4% |
| Lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets | 24 | 23 | -1 | -2.5% |
| Professional and business services | 21,550 | 20,075 | -1,475 | -6.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 9,708 | 9,336 | -372 | -3.8% |
| Legal services | 1,163 | 1,108 | -55 | -4.7% |
| Accounting and bookkeeping services | 1,038 | 1,011 | -28 | -2.6% |
| Architectural and engineering services | 1,540 | 1,484 | -56 | -3.6% |
| Specialized design services | 145 | 133 | -13 | -8.6% |
| Computer systems design and related services | 2,253 | 2,166 | -86 | -3.8% |
| Management and technical consulting services | 1,561 | 1,499 | -62 | -4.0% |
| Scientific research and development services | 750 | 749 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Advertising and related services | 493 | 443 | -49 | -10.0% |
| Other professional and technical services | 766 | 744 | -23 | -3.0% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 2,447 | 2,338 | -110 | -4.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 9,395 | 8,401 | -994 | -10.6% |
| Administrative and support services | 8,928 | 7,949 | -979 | -11.0% |
| Office administrative services | 530 | 506 | -24 | -4.5% |
| Facilities support services | 164 | 156 | -8 | -5.1% |
| Employment services | 3,650 | 3,099 | -551 | -15.1% |
| Temporary help services | 2,940 | 2,468 | -472 | -16.1% |
| Business support services | 869 | 774 | -95 | -11.0% |
| Travel arrangement and reservation services | 223 | 156 | -66 | -29.7% |
| Investigation and security services | 970 | 907 | -63 | -6.5% |
| Services to buildings and dwellings | 2,179 | 2,050 | -129 | -5.9% |
| Other support services | 342 | 301 | -42 | -12.2% |
| Waste management and remediation services | 467 | 452 | -15 | -3.3% |
| Education and health services | 24,586 | 23,129 | -1,457 | -5.9% |
| Educational services | 3,829 | 3,530 | -299 | -7.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 20,758 | 19,599 | -1,159 | -5.6% |
| Health care | 16,507 | 15,792 | -715 | -4.3% |
| Ambulatory health care services | 7,855 | 7,482 | -373 | -4.7% |
| Offices of physicians | 2,723 | 2,619 | -104 | -3.8% |
| Offices of dentists | 977 | 939 | -38 | -3.9% |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 988 | 893 | -95 | -9.6% |
| Outpatient care centers | 980 | 946 | -35 | -3.5% |
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 290 | 275 | -15 | -5.2% |
| Home health care services | 1,572 | 1,506 | -66 | -4.2% |
| Other ambulatory health care services | 325 | 304 | -22 | -6.6% |
| Hospitals | 5,261 | 5,148 | -113 | -2.2% |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,391 | 3,162 | -229 | -6.8% |
| Nursing care facilities | 1,592 | 1,469 | -123 | -7.8% |
| Residential mental health facilities | 653 | 620 | -33 | -5.1% |
| Community care facilities for the elderly | 978 | 915 | -63 | -6.4% |
| Other residential care facilities | 168 | 158 | -10 | -5.8% |
| Social assistance | 4,251 | 3,807 | -443 | -10.4% |
| Individual and family services | 2,700 | 2,519 | -181 | -6.7% |
| Emergency and other relief services | 186 | 182 | -4 | -2.0% |
| Vocational rehabilitation services | 326 | 282 | -45 | -13.7% |
| Child day care services | 1,039 | 825 | -214 | -20.6% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,867 | 12,728 | -4,139 | -24.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 2,472 | 1,603 | -870 | -35.2% |
| Performing arts and spectator sports | 512 | 276 | -236 | -46.0% |
| Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions | 175 | 127 | -48 | -27.5% |
| Amusements, gambling, and recreation | 1,786 | 1,199 | -586 | -32.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,394 | 11,126 | -3,269 | -22.7% |
| Accommodation | 2,091 | 1,311 | -781 | -37.3% |
| Food services and drinking places | 12,303 | 9,815 | -2,488 | -20.2% |
| Other services | 5,941 | 5,410 | -531 | -8.9% |
| Repair and maintenance | 1,379 | 1,312 | -67 | -4.8% |
| Personal and laundry services | 1,537 | 1,249 | -288 | -18.7% |
| Membership associations and organizations | 3,026 | 2,849 | -177 | -5.9% |
| Government | 22,745 | 21,914 | -831 | -3.7% |
| Federal | 2,867 | 3,163 | 296 | 10.3% |
| Federal, except U.S. Postal Service | 2,265 | 2,561 | 296 | 13.1% |
| U.S. Postal Service | 602 | 602 | 0 | 0.0% |
| State government | 5,199 | 4,981 | -218 | -4.2% |
| State government education | 2,490 | 2,285 | -205 | -8.2% |
| State government, excluding education | 2,709 | 2,697 | -13 | -0.5% |
| Local government | 14,679 | 13,770 | -909 | -6.2% |
| Local government education | 8,042 | 7,580 | -462 | -5.7% |
| Local government, excluding education | 6,637 | 6,190 | -447 | -6.7% |