Jared Bernstein and Heather Marie Boushey

“ Today’s employment situation release is yet another reminder that our economy remains in a hole worse than the depths of the Great Recession and needs additional relief to ensure that the pandemic can be brought under control, that families and businesses can stay solvent, and that workers can feed their families and keep a roof over their head. ”

“ This morning’s jobs report reveals that the pace of job gains has slowed sharply in recent months as the pandemic continues to weigh on job creation, especially in face-to-face services. Strong relief is urgently and quickly needed to control the virus, get vaccine shots in arms, and finally launch a robust, equitable and racially inclusive recovery. ”

“ The economy added 49,000 jobs in January after losing 227,000 jobs in December. The three-month trend is weak. After downward revisions to the data for both November and December totaling around 160,000, the economy has added an average of only 29,000 per month. ”