March Jobs Report Unlikely to Show Full Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis

The data, reflecting the first half of the month, won’t completely capture the sudden closure of businesses

The March employment report will show a hit to the U.S. job market due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but it is unlikely to show the depth of the crash because the data reflect the month’s first weeks.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expect Friday’s report to show U.S. employers shed 56,000 jobs from payrolls—snapping a record 113-month stretch of job creation—and the unemployment rate edged up to 3.7% from a 50-year low of 3.5% in February.