Empty cubicles are seen as the first phase of FMC Corporation employees return to work in the office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File Photo
July 2 (Reuters) – No major U.S. industry has regained its pre-recession level of employment in the 16 months since COVID-19 torpedoed the labor market, a sobering reality check on the lasting mark of the pandemic as the nation heads into Independence Day weekend.
Labor Department data released Friday showed total employment across the 10 major nongovernment sectors ranged from between 87% and 99% of their levels in February 2020, with even those relatively unscarred by the pandemic yet to fully retrace their losses.
“We are an economy in transition,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in an interview, adding that it will be a “few more months” before the economy gets to pre-pandemic numbers across the board.
“We need to focus on areas that might not be…
