# Statistical breakdown of COVID-related unemployment?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistical-breakdown-of-covid-related-unemployment/853505>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [May 10, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistical-breakdown-of-covid-related-unemployment/853505 "2020-05-10T01:35:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistical-breakdown-of-covid-related-unemployment/853505/1 "2020-05-10T01:35:10Z")

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So tens of millions of people have lost their jobs in the past few weeks because of COVID-19. How many of those job losses are because the job violates a lockdown order (bartenders, hairdressers, etc.) or is in a business that is significantly impacted by shutdown orders (restaurant cook, dentist, etc.) And how many of these layoffs are due to a general slowdown in economic activity? If the former are the bulk of the layoffs, I think things are much more likely to pick up quickly at that blessed time when it’s safer to open up again, but of course who knows when the hell that will be?

(I ask because I heard from a former co-worker yesterday, and she tells me they are still completely slammed with work. I would have thought that skilled employment-based immigration would be impacted negatively in short order, but she says no, anecdotally, they are still getting at least the usual number of requests to open new cases, extensions, etc. This was somewhat reassuring to me - I resigned from my job in mid-February to take some time off to recover from a head injury, and I’m not ready to go back to work just yet, but it would be nice to see some stats that indicated that there might be jobs left for me to apply for when the time comes. All my friends in the field are working from home right now the vast majority of the time, even though legal services are considered “essential” in my state and their employers could easily require them to come in. Luckily the employers are being sensible. Also, a friend has been half-assed condo shopping, and he reports that things in his price range are still being snatched up really quickly. )

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistical-breakdown-of-covid-related-unemployment/853505/2 "2020-05-10T03:01:56Z")

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Relevant article:  
**Crisis begins to hit professional and public-sector jobs once considered safe**

> [@](#):
>
> As the novel coronavirus pandemic brought business to a halt, the pain rippled outward, blowing up sector after sector. According to a detailed analysis of unemployment claims, no industry was left untouched.
> 
> After that first chaotic week of lockdowns mid-March, as officials scrambled to slow the spread of the deadliest pandemic in more than a century, restaurants and theaters saw job losses slow while losses in other sectors, such as construction and supply-chain work, accelerated. Now, it appears the economic upheaval is hitting professional and public-sector jobs that some once regarded as safe.

> **[Analysis | Crisis begins to hit professional and public-sector jobs once...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/30/jobless-claims-industry/)**
>
> The pandemic’s assault on U.S. jobs has entered a frightening new stage, one that could signal a deeper recession and a longer recovery.

**Weekly UI initial claims by industry**  
[https://economic.github.io/ui\_state\_detailed/](https://economic.github.io/ui_state_detailed/)