Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: March 2021 Report Edition

On April 2, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of March. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth staff highlighting important trends in the data.

As the U.S. labor market added 916,000 jobs, the prime-age employment-to-population ratio increased 0.3 percentage points in March.

Share of 25- to 54-year-olds who are employed, 2000-2021. Recessions are shaded.

With the recovery continuing in sectors where Latinx employment is high, the Latinx unemployment rate decreased to 7.9 percent in March from 8.5 percent in February.

U.S. unemployment rate by race, 2000-2001. Recessions are shaded.

Employment growth in March was led by leisure and hospitality and education services as in-person activity was able to resume alongside a notable increase in construction.

Employment by major U.S. industry, indexed to average industry employment in 2007. Recessions are shaded.

Top-line unemployment, also known as U-3, and a broader measure of labor underutilization, known as U-6, fell in tandem in March.

U-3 and U-6 U.S. unemployment rates. Recessions are shaded.

As unemployment declined in March, fewer unemployed workers were temporarily laid off and more were reentering the labor force to look for work.

Percent of all unemployed U.S. workers by reason for unemployment, 2019-2020
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