Job losses were sudden and swift. At first, workers and employers thought they would be temporary. For many, that is starting to look like wishful thinking The vast majority of people laid off this spring assumed they’d be back at their jobs fairly soon.
It is becoming more clear now that for many, that was wishful thinking. Even as states encourage a return to pre-Covid-19s normalcy, restaurants, factories and other businesses are increasingly saying they either won’t open when allowed, or will do so with reduced staff.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powellhas warned that the U.S. economy could take more than a year to recover. The closures were sudden and swift.