According to a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the COVID-19 pandemic and related recession led to massive job loss in early 2020, with some lasting labor market effects. Between March 2019 and March 2021, employment levels fell from 85.0% of the working-age population (persons aged 19 to 64) to 82.9% of the working-age population, a decrease of almost 6.0 million jobs. Over this period, the percentage of all working-age adults enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance dropped from 62.2% to 61.6% (a decrease of approximately 1.2 million adults with coverage), which is a smaller decline than some studies published early in the pandemic predicted.

The report can be obtained at https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R47219.pdf.