OFCCP Week In Review: June 2021 #2 | DirectEmployers Association

Friday, June 4, 2021: Most unemployment figures are falling – but we are not out of the woods yet

America’s reopening will continue in full, with 559,000 jobs added to employers’ payrolls in May, the vast majority of which are from the “long-term unemployed” (ie, unemployed for more than a year, mainly victims of the COVID-19 pandemic) . . BLS, in its monthly Employment situation Report for May 2021 puts it this way:

“… the number of unemployed fell by 496,000 to 9.3 million. These measures have fallen significantly from their most recent highs in April 2020, but remain well above their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) levels [unemployment levels of] (3.5 percent or 5.7 million in February 2020). ”

Context: 150,000 jobs added to employers’ payroll in any given month are considered strong evidence of a healthy and growing US economy. The number of nearly 560,000 in May is exceptional and would only be seen if the economy reopened after a severe economic downturn like the one caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy is not fully open, however, as 3.6 million people were still unemployed in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic closed much of America in mid-March 2020, at a time when we had the lowest unemployment in the United States USA had last 50 years. Even if reopening in the US could allow 500,000 new salary increases every month (like it did in May), please note that it would take 7 months (by the end of 2021) to chew the 3.6 million unemployed backlog and get us back to enable us to be where we were before the pandemic. So while great strides are being made each month with more vaccinations and businesses reopening, there are still many employees and businesses suffering from overwhelming economic pain.

People with disabilities had an easy one Rise in unemployment in May, while all other groups recorded a slight decrease. This information is another reminder for employers to start or expand their recruiting efforts for this highly skilled, but underutilized, talent group.

US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh also took off the rose-colored glasses Note,

“… Workers also shared with me the challenges they and their families face – finding affordable childcare, caring for older parents and grandparents, and overcoming the hurdles created by decades of income inequality and racial and gender inequality. These challenges are also reflected in our job data, which is why the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan are so important. We need to invest in our workforce and our communities for inclusive recovery and a competitive economy. ”

See the Biden Administration fact sheet “The efforts of the Biden-Harris government to support full participation and equality for people with disabilities“For handicapped-oriented efforts in the first 100 days.