When the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, much of the economy – and the job market along with it – was placed the equivalent of an induced coma. Now that virus caseloads have plummeted,  COVID-19 restrictions have eased, and vaccines are plentiful, the economy has largely woken up. Economists say we’re not quite back to normal – whatever “normal” might be – but employment numbers have rebounded from their low point of last spring. We know the blizzard of numbers that come in news reports about the economy can be bewildering, so we’ve pulled out a few of the most relevant statistics about the labor force and unemployment from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (dwd.wisconsin.gov).

Note: The Eau Claire metro area is made up of all of Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.