By comparison, employment outside of low-wage jobs fell more modestly at the start of the pandemic and recovered quickly, exceeding its pre-pandemic level by September. These jobs have also proven more resilient to the second wave of the virus, remaining relatively steady in recent months. This reflects the ability of large parts of the economy to adapt to the pandemic.
In contrast, employment in low-wage jobs has drifted lower since the summer and is now more than 25 percent below its pre-pandemic level. -5-  Finally, as the pandemic has dragged on, we have also seen a sharp rise in the number of long-term unemployed people—those who have been out of work and actively looking for a job for longer than 26 weeks.