COVID has hit hardest the industry we’ll want most when it’s over

Published February 11, 2021 2:35pm ET



People are not having as much fun because of the pandemic, and the people who had been working in businesses that elicit fun are having even less.

The Biden administration points out in its rescue plan that “those in hard-hit industries like restaurants, hotels, and the arts, have suffered disproportionately.” It’s right. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday demonstrate as much: Nearly 23% of industry jobs lost from February 2020 to January 2021 were in leisure and hospitality. That includes losses for theaters, music venues, bars, museums, and beds and breakfasts, among others, per the North American Industry Classification System. It’s a far greater loss than the industry runner-up, mining and logging, which accounts for 12% of jobs lost.

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