U.S. employers have added jobs at a historically robust pace since emerging from the pandemic recession, with a notable exception: state and local governments.
The nation lost about 22 million jobs in March and April 2020, or 14% of the total, when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit the U.S. economy. Total payrolls started growing in May of that year, and by July of this year the overall labor market had more jobs than in February 2020, according to the Labor Department.