For the Columbus economy April 2022 report, we look at how the situation has continued to improve from the pandemic-related crash of 2020. High inflation rates had yet to affect things like hiring, which remained strong. Let’s break it down.

Overall Metro Area April 2022 and Change from April 2021
Labor Force: 1,120,035 +13,475
Employed: 1,087,123 +37,439
Unemployed: 32,912 -23,964
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% -2.2
Total Non-Farm Jobs: 1,111,100 +25,100

The 2.9% April unemployment rate for the Columbus metro was the lowest rate since May 2001, and only a few tenths of a percent off the lowest since at least 1990.

Overall Metro Area April 2022 and Change from February 2020 (Pre-Pandemic)
Labor Force: 1,120,035 -769
Employed: 1,087,123 +10,283
Unemployed: 32,912 -11,052
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% -1.0
Total Non-Farm Jobs: 1,111,100 -300
The metro area overall is just about where it was pre-pandemic, though more people are employed now than at that time.

Now let’s view the results by industry.

Mining/Logging/Construction
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
40,300————44,800———45,900
This industry has been recovering nicely from pandemic lows, and should hit all-time highs over the summer.

Manufacturing
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
63,400———–71,800———-72,800
Manufacturing has nearly fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Trade/Transportation/Utilities
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
190,200———-220,200———235,800
This industry completely recovered and consistently hitting record highs.

Information
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
15,400———–15,400———-16,600
Information has fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but only just. This industry has been fairly stagnant, if not in decline, since 2001.

Financial Activities
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
83,700———–85,200———-82,900
Unlike other industries, financial activities did not drop significantly during the crash. It did fully recover all lost jobs, but is now sliding down further than during the pandemic. It’s unclear why.

Professional and Business Services
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
162,900———-177,800———178,600
This industry did recover most pandemic losses, but plateaued in 2016 and has been unable to do much since then.

Education and Health Services
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
142,100———-159,600———157,900
Hit extremely hard during the pandemic, the industries of health and education have not yet been able to fully recover. Healthcare in particular is having an extremely difficult time finding workers, and is losing people to burnout.

Leisure and Hospitality
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
56,100———-93,100———-101,500
This industry was arguably hit the hardest of any during the pandemic crash. These jobs fell by nearly 50%. They’ve made a strong comeback, but not quite yet to pre-pandemic levels.

Other Services
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
29,600———–39,400———-41,500
This industry is on track for full recovery by late summer.

Government
4/2020———–4/2021———-4/2022
178,400———-178,700———177,600
While the fall during the pandemic was not as dramatic as other types of jobs, government jobs have largely stagnated since the crash well below their pre-pandemic levels. It’s unclear if its local level or state and federal level jobs that have not returned.

All said, the metro area has just about fully recovered from pandemic effects- and is doing better now than before in some respects- but some industries continue to lag behind. Inflation and energy prices are hitting people hard, and that is not just true in the United States. Nearly all nations are seeing similar effects, and the longer these global conditions last, the more likely it is that it harms the upward movement of the economy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the source of this data, is useful for local employment data for any metro area in the United States.