The US economy is still missing 6.4 million jobs due to the Great Recession. While 10.6 million jobs have been created since 2010, the recovery would have generated 6.4 million more without the recession. Workers with a high school diploma or less have been hardest hit, accounting for 3.4 million of the missing jobs. At the current pace of job growth, the US will not recover all 6.4 million missing jobs until 2020.

1. Six Million Missing
Jobs:
The Lingering Pain of the Great Recession
By: Anthony P. Carnevale, Tamara Jayasundera, Artem
Gulish
December 14, 2015

2. Overview
• The recovery is in its sixth year and the effects Great
Recession are still with us
– About 8 million jobs were lost between 2007 and 2010.
– Had the recession never occurred, the economy would have
6.4 million more jobs than it has today.
– Nearly half of these missing jobs (3 million) would have
gone to people with at least some college education

3. Since the recovery began in 2010, the economy created 10.6
million jobs, but is still 6.4 million jobs short of where it would
have been had the Great Recession not occurred.

4. The jobs gap is largest for workers with a high school diploma or
less, 3.4 million jobs.

5. The economy will need to create 205,000 jobs a month
to recover all the missing jobs by 2020.

6. Conclusion
• Despite consistent job growth, the economy still has a long
way to go to achieve a full recovery.
• Six years into the recovery, the economy is still missing 6.4
million jobs.
• Jobs held by workers with a high school diploma or less have
been hit the hardest, with 3.4 million missing jobs.
• If the economy keeps adding jobs at the current pace, we will
recover all the missing jobs by 2020.

7. For more information:
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See the full report at: cew.georgetown.edu/missingjobs