By Manuel Gutierrez, Consulting Economist to NKBA
Job growth continues, but not all industries are recovering at the same pace.
- March added 431,000 jobs, the lowest gain in six months
- Total employment grew to 150.9 million, only 1.6 million down from the pre-pandemic high of 152.5 million
- Professional & Business Services and Retail exceed pre-COVID levels, while Hospitality lags by 9 percent
- February employment in Interior Design hit an all-time high of nearly 51,000.
- Women showed the largest gains among Interior Designers, more than doubling their numbers since 2010
- Employment for women in the Design industry has grown to 70 percent from 60-65 percent in the early 2000’s.
- Unemployment fell to 3.6 percent, just above the 3.5 percent from two years ago – levels not seen since the early 1970’s.
“The number of female interior designers has more than doubled since 2010 and now comprise 70 percent of the field.”