WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWLP) – The impact of COVID-19 is still being seen in people’s individual employment and finances.

The way Americans work changed. Some people began to work remotely or a hybrid of remote and in-person. Some people had to work in person. Others lost their jobs when businesses temporarily shut down or closed completely.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, full-time, year-round employment declined by 4.4 million workers from 2019 to 2021. Men lost more jobs than women in that time period, but men continued to outnumber women among full-time, year-round paid workers: 61.7 million compared to 47.8 million.

You can read the Census Bureau’s 2019 and 2021 American Community Survey’s Women and Men’s Detailed Occupations and Median Earnings Tables.

The statistics also highlight the differences between men and women in fulltime employment. Most jobs lost by women were in service and retail sales occupations, historically low paying. For men, the better-paying jobs in construction, transportation, service, and sales dried up.

The segregation of occupations shows how changes in the labor market impact men and women differently. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of women working full-time, year-round declined by 3.4%, and men’s employment declined by 4.1%.

But, other industries grew during the pandemic. The report found employment increased for both men and women in management, business, science and arts occupations in which men were paid 26% more than women, on average.