Nonfarm Payroll Employment Drops in April – Construction Industry Loses Almost a Million Jobs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm payroll employment dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, in April 2020. From April 2019 to April 2020, nonfarm employment decreased by 19.4 million jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis, or -12.9%. All four regions experienced job losses, led by declines in the Northeast of -18.2%, the Midwest of -14.5%, the Western Region of -12.6% and the South of -10.7%. In the construction sector specifically, which includes both residential and non-residential construction, across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data, 47 states had a decrease in April compared to March. South Dakota added 500 construction jobs during this time. Overall, the construction industry lost 975,000 jobs in April compared to the previous month. The range of job losses span 166,200 in New York to 500 in Wyoming.