Job losses in the last two months set us back two decades: Non-farm payroll employment levels, in thousands, 1989--April 2020

Date  Employment
Jan-1989 107161
Feb-1989 107427
Mar-1989 107621
Apr-1989 107791
May-1989 107913
Jun-1989 108027
Jul-1989 108069
Aug-1989 108120
Sep-1989 108369
Oct-1989 108476
Nov-1989 108752
Dec-1989 108836
Jan-1990 109199
Feb-1990 109435
Mar-1990 109644
Apr-1990 109686
May-1990 109839
Jun-1990 109856
Jul-1990 109824
Aug-1990 109616
Sep-1990 109518
Oct-1990 109367
Nov-1990 109214
Dec-1990 109166
Jan-1991 109055
Feb-1991 108734
Mar-1991 108574
Apr-1991 108364
May-1991 108249
Jun-1991 108334
Jul-1991 108292
Aug-1991 108310
Sep-1991 108336
Oct-1991 108357
Nov-1991 108296
Dec-1991 108328
Jan-1992 108369
Feb-1992 108311
Mar-1992 108365
Apr-1992 108519
May-1992 108649
Jun-1992 108715
Jul-1992 108793
Aug-1992 108925
Sep-1992 108959
Oct-1992 109139
Nov-1992 109272
Dec-1992 109495
Jan-1993 109794
Feb-1993 110044
Mar-1993 109994
Apr-1993 110296
May-1993 110568
Jun-1993 110749
Jul-1993 111055
Aug-1993 111206
Sep-1993 111448
Oct-1993 111733
Nov-1993 111984
Dec-1993 112314
Jan-1994 112595
Feb-1994 112781
Mar-1994 113242
Apr-1994 113586
May-1994 113921
Jun-1994 114238
Jul-1994 114610
Aug-1994 114896
Sep-1994 115247
Oct-1994 115458
Nov-1994 115869
Dec-1994 116165
Jan-1995 116501
Feb-1995 116697
Mar-1995 116907
Apr-1995 117069
May-1995 117049
Jun-1995 117286
Jul-1995 117380
Aug-1995 117634
Sep-1995 117875
Oct-1995 118031
Nov-1995 118175
Dec-1995 118320
Jan-1996 118316
Feb-1996 118739
Mar-1996 118993
Apr-1996 119158
May-1996 119486
Jun-1996 119769
Jul-1996 120015
Aug-1996 120199
Sep-1996 120410
Oct-1996 120665
Nov-1996 120961
Dec-1996 121143
Jan-1997 121363
Feb-1997 121675
Mar-1997 121990
Apr-1997 122286
May-1997 122546
Jun-1997 122814
Jul-1997 123111
Aug-1997 123093
Sep-1997 123585
Oct-1997 123929
Nov-1997 124235
Dec-1997 124549
Jan-1998 124812
Feb-1998 125016
Mar-1998 125164
Apr-1998 125442
May-1998 125844
Jun-1998 126076
Jul-1998 126205
Aug-1998 126544
Sep-1998 126752
Oct-1998 126954
Nov-1998 127231
Dec-1998 127596
Jan-1999 127702
Feb-1999 128120
Mar-1999 128227
Apr-1999 128597
May-1999 128808
Jun-1999 129089
Jul-1999 129414
Aug-1999 129569
Sep-1999 129772
Oct-1999 130177
Nov-1999 130466
Dec-1999 130772
Jan-2000 131005
Feb-2000 131124
Mar-2000 131596
Apr-2000 131888
May-2000 132105
Jun-2000 132061
Jul-2000 132236
Aug-2000 132230
Sep-2000 132353
Oct-2000 132351
Nov-2000 132556
Dec-2000 132709
Jan-2001 132698
Feb-2001 132789
Mar-2001 132747
Apr-2001 132463
May-2001 132410
Jun-2001 132299
Jul-2001 132177
Aug-2001 132028
Sep-2001 131771
Oct-2001 131454
Nov-2001 131142
Dec-2001 130982
Jan-2002 130852
Feb-2002 130736
Mar-2002 130717
Apr-2002 130623
May-2002 130634
Jun-2002 130684
Jul-2002 130590
Aug-2002 130587
Sep-2002 130501
Oct-2002 130628
Nov-2002 130615
Dec-2002 130472
Jan-2003 130580
Feb-2003 130444
Mar-2003 130232
Apr-2003 130177
May-2003 130196
Jun-2003 130194
Jul-2003 130191
Aug-2003 130149
Sep-2003 130254
Oct-2003 130454
Nov-2003 130474
Dec-2003 130588
Jan-2004 130769
Feb-2004 130825
Mar-2004 131142
Apr-2004 131411
May-2004 131694
Jun-2004 131793
Jul-2004 131848
Aug-2004 131937
Sep-2004 132093
Oct-2004 132447
Nov-2004 132503
Dec-2004 132624
Jan-2005 132774
Feb-2005 133032
Mar-2005 133156
Apr-2005 133518
May-2005 133690
Jun-2005 133942
Jul-2005 134296
Aug-2005 134498
Sep-2005 134566
Oct-2005 134655
Nov-2005 134993
Dec-2005 135149
Jan-2006 135429
Feb-2006 135737
Mar-2006 136047
Apr-2006 136205
May-2006 136244
Jun-2006 136325
Jul-2006 136520
Aug-2006 136694
Sep-2006 136843
Oct-2006 136852
Nov-2006 137063
Dec-2006 137249
Jan-2007 137477
Feb-2007 137558
Mar-2007 137793
Apr-2007 137842
May-2007 137993
Jun-2007 138069
Jul-2007 138038
Aug-2007 138015
Sep-2007 138095
Oct-2007 138174
Nov-2007 138284
Dec-2007 138392
Jan-2008 138403
Feb-2008 138324
Mar-2008 138275
Apr-2008 138035
May-2008 137858
Jun-2008 137687
Jul-2008 137491
Aug-2008 137213
Sep-2008 136753
Oct-2008 136272
Nov-2008 135545
Dec-2008 134839
Jan-2009 134055
Feb-2009 133312
Mar-2009 132512
Apr-2009 131817
May-2009 131475
Jun-2009 131008
Jul-2009 130668
Aug-2009 130485
Sep-2009 130244
Oct-2009 130045
Nov-2009 130057
Dec-2009 129788
Jan-2010 129790
Feb-2010 129698
Mar-2010 129879
Apr-2010 130110
May-2010 130650
Jun-2010 130511
Jul-2010 130427
Aug-2010 130422
Sep-2010 130357
Oct-2010 130625
Nov-2010 130750
Dec-2010 130822
Jan-2011 130841
Feb-2011 131053
Mar-2011 131288
Apr-2011 131602
May-2011 131703
Jun-2011 131939
Jul-2011 131999
Aug-2011 132125
Sep-2011 132358
Oct-2011 132562
Nov-2011 132694
Dec-2011 132896
Jan-2012 133250
Feb-2012 133512
Mar-2012 133752
Apr-2012 133834
May-2012 133934
Jun-2012 134007
Jul-2012 134159
Aug-2012 134331
Sep-2012 134518
Oct-2012 134677
Nov-2012 134833
Dec-2012 135072
Jan-2013 135263
Feb-2013 135541
Mar-2013 135680
Apr-2013 135871
May-2013 136093
Jun-2013 136274
Jul-2013 136386
Aug-2013 136628
Sep-2013 136815
Oct-2013 137040
Nov-2013 137304
Dec-2013 137373
Jan-2014 137548
Feb-2014 137714
Mar-2014 137968
Apr-2014 138293
May-2014 138511
Jun-2014 138837
Jul-2014 139069
Aug-2014 139257
Sep-2014 139566
Oct-2014 139818
Nov-2014 140109
Dec-2014 140377
Jan-2015 140568
Feb-2015 140839
Mar-2015 140910
Apr-2015 141194
May-2015 141525
Jun-2015 141699
Jul-2015 142001
Aug-2015 142126
Sep-2015 142281
Oct-2015 142587
Nov-2015 142824
Dec-2015 143097
Jan-2016 143170
Feb-2016 143433
Mar-2016 143662
Apr-2016 143849
May-2016 143891
Jun-2016 144158
Jul-2016 144512
Aug-2016 144647
Sep-2016 144916
Oct-2016 145061
Nov-2016 145212
Dec-2016 145442
Jan-2017 145627
Feb-2017 145815
Mar-2017 145944
Apr-2017 146141
May-2017 146296
Jun-2017 146512
Jul-2017 146727
Aug-2017 146911
Sep-2017 146929
Oct-2017 147196
Nov-2017 147421
Dec-2017 147551
Jan-2018 147672
Feb-2018 148078
Mar-2018 148254
Apr-2018 148391
May-2018 148669
Jun-2018 148888
Jul-2018 149024
Aug-2018 149268
Sep-2018 149348
Oct-2018 149549
Nov-2018 149683
Dec-2018 149865
Jan-2019 150134
Feb-2019 150135
Mar-2019 150282
Apr-2019 150492
May-2019 150577
Jun-2019 150759
Jul-2019 150953
Aug-2019 151160
Sep-2019 151368
Oct-2019 151553
Nov-2019 151814
Dec-2019 151998
Jan-2020 152212
Feb-2020 152463
Mar-2020 151090
Apr-2020 130403
May-2020 132912

Notes: Shaded areas denote recessions.

Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics public data series

View the underlying data on epi.org.