JOBS REPORT

More Than 6% of Americans Still Unemployed a Year Into Pandemic

Many people have left the workforce altogether since the pandemic began, meaning things are worse than the numbers indicate.

The U.S. job market is looking a bit brighter after the economy added 379,000 in February, but there are still 9.5 million less jobs than before the pandemic, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The overall unemployment rate has dropped to 6.2 percent from 6.3 percent in January, but Black unemployment has risen. While last month’s report was better than expected, there’s still a lot to worry about, including the many Americans who have dropped out of the workforce altogether to take care of children or relatives during the pandemic. “One of the key determinants of whether someone’s in the labor force right now is whether children are in school,” Mark Hamrick, a senior economic analyst at Bankrate told NBC News. “As that would seem to be resolved, that could lead to more individuals in the labor force.”