Although the economy closed out 2021 with a disappointing 199,000 job gains in December, the overall employment recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarkably swift.
The nation has recouped 84% of the 22.4 million jobs lost in the health crisis, according to Labor Department figures, and is expected to claw back the rest by the end of this year.
Put another way, total U.S. payrolls are just 2.4% short of their pre-pandemic peak. In April 2020, they were 14.7% below that level.
But that broad picture masks wildly divergent showings among industries. Courier and warehouse jobs are well above their pre-crisis marks while travel agencies and movie production are far below.
►Getting a raise:Workers can expect a nice raise as companies struggle to fill jobs, report says
►Meat recall:Ground beef sold at Walmart, other stores recalled for possible E. coli contamination
“The winners are easy to see,” says Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “They all center around people buying stuff at home."
The losers? Industries that were pummeled when Americans halted, or sharply cut back, traveling, going to restaurants, stores and other in-person activities.
“The industries on the front lines of the pandemic are the ones that are lagging,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics.
Some may never return to their prior staffing levels as some Americans shift their spending patterns for the long term.
Among large “supersectors” that include various industries, the professional and business services group, which largely feature jobs that can be done remotely, is just 0.2% below its high-water mark, according to a Moody's Analytics analysis of Labor figures.
Leisure and hospitality – which includes restaurants, bars and hotels -- is still 7.2% below its pre-pandemic level despite leading the employment recovery with 7 million job gains since spring 2020.
►Behind job growth slowdown: 'Hiring is being held back': Economy added just 199K jobs in December as worker shortages persisted and omicron began spreading in U.S.
Here are the 5 best industries at reaching or topping their pre-COVID payrolls and the 5 that have lagged most, according to an analysis of Labor Department figures by CEPR’s Baker.
Winners
Couriers
22.8%, or 201,500 jobs, above pre-crisis level.
They’re the foot soldiers of the home delivery craze and so their numbers have soared.
Warehousing and storage
13.6%, or 181,000 jobs, above pre-crisis level.
All those Amazon packages have to get stored and sorted by somebody.