Occupations with low average wages and hours experienced disproportionate job losses: Job losses in key leisure and hospitality occupational groupings between 2019 and 2020
| Occupation group | Employment (2019) | Share of industry | Employment (2020) | Job losses (level) | Job losses (shares) | Average wage (2019) | Average weekly hours (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management and professional occupations | 2,279,433 | 17.3% | 1,865,460 | -413,973 | 11.9% | $28.33 | 40.6 |
| Service occupations | 8,489,065 | 64.3% | 5,964,557 | -2,524,508 | 72.3% | $12.97 | 31.6 |
| Sales and office support occupations | 1,816,781 | 13.8% | 1,347,223 | -469,557 | 13.4% | $14.86 | 30.1 |
Note: “2019” refers to the 12 months from March 2019 to February 2020 and “2020” refers to the 12 months from March 2020 to February 2021.
Source: Economic Policy Institute Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.15 (2021), https://microdata.epi.org.