Coronavirus

Report: Private Sector Lost More Than 20 Million Jobs In April

An ADP report says the majority of the jobs lost, roughly 16 million, were in the service sector.

Report: Private Sector Lost More Than 20 Million Jobs In April
Nam Y. Huh / AP
Article by Meg Hilling
SMS
May 6, 2020

Employment in the private sector fell by more than 20 million jobs in April, according to an ADP report released Wednesday.

The report says small businesses accounted for more than 6 million lost jobs, mid-sized for more than 5 million, and large businesses for nearly 9 million. A majority of those jobs, roughly 16 million, were in the service sector. 

The co-head of the ADP Research Institute, which compiles the report in conjunction with Moody Analytics, said in a press release, "The total number of job losses for the month of April alone was more than double the total jobs lost during the Great Recession."

Unemployment continues to climb in the U.S. as the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home orders force furloughs and layoffs. More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the outbreak began.