The number of employees receiving pay or benefits from their employer—measured by the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) as payroll employment—was little changed in January.
Increases in professional, scientific and technical services (+28,100; +2.6%) and construction (+21,900; +2.0%) were offset by declines in accommodation and food services (-64,500; -5.5%), and arts, entertainment and recreation (-15,600; -5.8%).
With the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, many jurisdictions had tightened public health measures by late December 2021 and early January 2022. Capacity limits or closures had been re-introduced in high-contact settings such as restaurants, bars, retail stores and gyms.
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