Economic indicators

More than one-third of parents — mostly women — have yet to return to jobs they lost, largely because there’s no one to look after their kids.

Though it was initially necessary to keep employees from getting sick, remote work promises to make people more productive and happier while helping the environment and preserving infrastructure.

As many as tens of millions of women may never return to the labor force, even after a vaccine is found. Altogether, global gross domestic product could be $1 trillion less in 2030 than it would be without a gender unemployment gap.

“This isn't just an issue for women. It's an issue for families, and it's an issue for the government and economies because it drives GDP,” says Jennifer Reynolds, a former investment banker and CEO of Toronto Finance International.

Chances of further employment and economic gains are diminishing without the widespread stimulus payments and small-business aid that have sustained incomes and spending.

The Internal Revenue Service projects that lower levels of employment in the U.S. could persist for years, showcasing the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Joblessness now stands at the most since the Great Depression era of the 1930s after the coronavirus pandemic brought the U.S. economy to a standstill.

The Labor Department’s figures are projected to show a jobless rate surging to 16%.

The five-week total for unemployment claims reached 26.5 million in the steepest downturn for the U.S. labor market since the Great Depression.

The juggling act for policy makers will be to reopen without triggering a second wave of infections that leads to a fresh round of lockdowns and yet more economic damage.