More Americans Returned to Work This Month, Census Data Show

(Bloomberg) -- An additional 1.6 million Americans were working as of mid-September, new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows.

The latest Household Pulse Survey, released Wednesday, covers the two-week collection and dissemination period from Sept. 2-14, which coincides with the reference period for the U.S. Labor Department’s monthly employment report.

Read More: U.S. Jobless Claims Remain Elevated in Fits-and-Starts Recovery

The figures are in line with other signs of a pickup in employment since mid-August. On an unadjusted basis, continuing claims for state jobless benefits fell by 1.6 million between the reference weeks for the August and September job reports, according to Labor Department data out Thursday. Economists have been incorporating this calculation into their estimates for the monthly employment numbers.

The Census figures showed employers ranging from large corporations to government agencies to non-profits saw their ranks swell this month. But family firms suffered a loss of 450,000 jobs as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continued to slam small businesses, the survey showed.

Middle-aged workers, those 40 to 64, returned to work in massive numbers as schools reopened. The survey shows almost 1.4 million people in that age group are working again.

The Household Pulse Survey is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal agencies to document trends in U.S. lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It tracks how Americans are experiencing business curtailment, stay-at-home orders, school closures, as well as changes in the availability of consumer goods and buying patterns.

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