Young workers are heavily represented in the occupations most affected by COVID-19 shutdowns: Shares of workers ages 16–24 and ages 25+ in major occupations, 2019; occupations ranked by percent change in employment between February and May 2020
| Major occupation | Ages 16–24 | Ages 25+ |
|---|---|---|
| Service occupations <br> (-27.2%) | 31.2% | 15.4% |
| Production occupations <br> (-17.9%) | 4.9% | 5.5% |
| Sales and related occupations (-17.5%) | 15.6% | 9.1% |
| Transportation and material moving occupations (-16.2%) | 7.4% | 6.4% |
| Construction and extraction occupations (-15.7%) | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations <br> (-11.1%) | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| Office and administration support occupations (-11.0%) | 13.3% | 11.1% |
| Professional and related occupations (-6.5%) | 13.8% | 24.7% |
| Management, business, and financial occupations <br> (-4.6%) | 5.2% | 18.5% |
Note: The category farming, fishing, and forestry occupations is omitted because it accounts for less than 1% of total employment.
Source: Authors’ analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics and Economic Policy Institute Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.9 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org.