As of May 2024, there were 133.4 million full-time employees in the United States. This is a slight increase from the previous month, when there were 133.34 million full-time employees.
The impact COVID-19 on employment
In December 2019, the COVID-19 virus began its spread across the globe. Since being classified as a pandemic, the virus caused a global health crisis that has taken the lives of millions of people worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic changed many facets of society, most significantly, the economy. In the first years, many businesses across all industries were forced to shut down, with large numbers of employees being laid off. The economy continued its recovery in 2022 with the nationwide unemployment rate returning to a more normal 3.4 percent as of April 2023.
Unemployment benefits
Because so many people in the United States lost their jobs, record numbers of individuals applied for unemployment insurance for the first time. As an early response to this nation-wide upheaval, the government issued relief checks and extended the benefits paid by unemployment insurance. In May 2020, the amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid rose to 23.73 billion U.S. dollars. As of December 2022, this value had declined to 2.24 billion U.S. dollars.
Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024
(in millions, unadjusted)
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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (June 7, 2024). Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in millions, unadjusted) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in millions, unadjusted) ." Chart. June 7, 2024. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in millions, unadjusted) . Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Monthly Number of Full-time Employees in The United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in Millions, Unadjusted) ." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in millions, unadjusted) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Monthly number of full-time employees in the United States from May 2022 to May 2024 (in millions, unadjusted) [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 7, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/