This chart shows how coronavirus jobs losses dwarf those in prior recessions

• Job losses since U.S. employment peaked in February represent a decline of more than 14%, according to Labor Department data.
• That eclipses even the losses seen during the Great Recession, when the U.S. economy lost north of 6% of its peak employment, noted Bill McBride, author of the blog Calculated Risk.

Jobs losses related to the coronavirus and government-imposed business closures designed to slow its spread dwarf employment declines seen during prior U.S. recessions in their speed and intensity.

Losses since U.S. employment peaked in February represent a decline of more than 14%, according to Labor Department data and Bill McBride, author of the blog Calculated Risk. That eclipses even the job losses seen during the Great Recession, when the U.S. economy lost north of 6% of its peak employment from 2007.

The Labor Department's April 2020 jobs report showed that payrolls plunged by 20.5 million last month while the unemployment rate rocketed to 14.7%, record levels in the post-World War II era.

Stats are through May 21's weekly jobless claims report.

Many state governments have ordered businesses to close to slow the spread of Covid-19. Governors from New York to California ordered a wide swath of their commerce closed, shuttering bookstores, dine-in restaurants and florists across March and April.

tweet

Read more of CNBC's coronavirus coverage here. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.