Forsyth County, North Carolina | Decemer, 2021
Overall, labor force participation and unemployment are almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
This graph displays the count change of Forsyth County’s labor force, the number of employed individuals, as well as the number of unemployed individuals from February, 2020 to October, 2021.
Data Source:
D4—Demand Driven Data Delivery. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://d4.nccommerce.com/
February, 2020 through October, 2021
A drop in both the labor force and employment is noticeable in the spring of 2020, parallel to the inception of government-mandated quarantines throughout the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the time since this dramatic dip, the labor force, employment, and unemployment have returned to near pre-pandemic levels.
- Labor force participation is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. 2,000 people (a relatively small number) have exited the labor force as of October, 2021.
- Unemployment is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. There were 918 more unemployed people in October, 2021 than in February, 2020.
What is the labor force anyway?
The Labor Force is the sum of employed individuals and individuals seeking employment. Some additional terms and definitions often used when discussing the labor market:
- Employed: Individuals who are currently employed at any capacity, i.e., full-time or part-time.
- Unemployed: Individuals who are seeking employment, and are not currently employed at any capacity.
- Not in the Labor Force: Individuals who are jobless and not looking or available for employment (i.e. full-time students, retired people, people with disabilities that prevent them from working, those providing childcare, etc.)
- Unemployment Rate: The number of individuals seeking employment divided by the sum of employed individuals and individuals seeking employment multiplied by 100.
- Labor Force Participation Rate: The number of individuals in the labor force divided by the total working age population (15-64) multiplied by 100.
While labor force participation is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, there appear to be longer-lasting shifts in employment by industry.
This visualization displays the count changes in total employment by industry in Winston-Salem’s Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) from February, 2020 to October, 2021. February, 2020 was chosen as the baseline month considering that pandemic-related effects would not have been widespread throughout the United States at that moment in time.
Data Source:
D4—Demand Driven Data Delivery. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://d4.nccommerce.com/
February, 2020 through October, 2021
Some industries, like Transportation and Warehousing, have seen a mild increase in total employment. On the other hand, industries like Leisure and Hospitality observed a steep decline in total employment at the emergence of the pandemic but have gradually recovered in recent months.
Industries with increased employment:
- Professional and Business Services increased by about 2,300.
- Transportation & Warehousing increased by about 2,100.
- Manufacturing increased by about 300.
- Retail Trade increased by about 100.
Industries with decreased employment:
- Education and Health Services decreased by about 2,600.
- Leisure and Hospitality decreased by about 2,500.
- Financial Activities decreased by about 1,100.
- Government decreased by about 1,000.
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