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Which LA Industries Have Been Hardest Hit By Coronavirus?
Jobs in the grocery industry are actually down slightly from last year in the greater L.A. area. Chava Sanchez/LAist
New state data illustrates what we’ve all suspected: in greater Los Angeles, retail and restaurants have suffered the greatest job losses due to the coronavirus.
The data show how many people worked in a given industry in April 2020 compared to April 2019.
Bookstores and music stores had the biggest drop of any industry, with 85% fewer workers. Full service restaurants have about 64% fewer workers, and clothing stores are down a similar amount.
"This report really sort of shows that the hardest hit industries are those that employ lower-wage or lower-skilled workers," said Tyler Laferriere, an economist with the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation.
Some industries actually employed more people this April than a year ago: namely, those that helped us stay at home, like video streaming, web hosting, and couriers and messengers.
These numbers are through April, and will likely change as California begins to reopen its economy in May.
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