The average weekly growth rate for shift work during the recovery continues to decelerate and currently sits at 0.7% per week for the month of July, according to the US Workforce Activity Report from Kronos Inc. for the week of July 13 to July 19. This has declined by more than half of the 1.9% average weekly growth in June and is only approximately a quarter of the 2.7% average weekly growth experienced in May.

Overall, businesses have recovered 64% of shifts lost between the weeks ending March 15 and April 12, which marked “the bottom” of US shift work during the lockdown, Kronos reported. The volume of shift work nationally across all sectors is 13% below pre-pandemic levels.

The public sector has recovered the largest percentage of shifts lost, 62.5%, as states reopen and the public sector industry adapts to operating during Covid-19; however, public-sector shifts remain down 28% overall.

Growth across four of the five key industries that help drive the US economy has mostly stalled following strong gains made during the first 11 weeks of the recovery, which began in earnest the week ending April 12, according to the report. Healthcare is 7% below pre-pandemic levels; the services and distribution sector is down 13%; and both the manufacturing and the retail, food service and hospitality sectors are near 14% below.

“We are seeing clear signs that workforce activity is topping out as we move deeper into the summer season,” said Dave Gilbertson, VP, HCM practice group, Kronos. “As shift work growth slows and potentially stalls, the ability of businesses to hire — and in turn, reduce unemployment — will be further delayed.”