The number of people working in restaurants and lodgings saw a record drop last month due to strengthened social distancing rules amid the spread of COVID-19.
According to data released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday, the number of people working in such businesses dropped by 240-thousand from the amount recorded in January 2020.
It’s the steepest decline since related statistics were first compiled in June 2009 and shows that restaurants and accommodations were hit particularly hard by stricter social distancing.
A total of 18-point-28 million people were estimated to be working at businesses that have more than one employee as of the last business day of January, down nearly two percent from January of last year.
The drop is the second sharpest to be posted monthly after last April when the labor market was dealt a major blow due to the pandemic. The latest drop is assessed to have resulted after social distancing rules were strengthened.