A man stands in front of a Modell's store that is closed, as retail sales suffer record drop during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York, U.S., April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Bryan R Smith

1. The jobs report from early June indicated that the economy added 2.5 million jobs, an unexpected increase in jobs led to a slight decrease in the total amount of people receiving unemployment benefits.
2. The unemployment rate remains high at 13.3 percent with nearly 21 million people officially classified as unemployed.
   • The government said millions were categorized incorrectly as employed in the latest job report. Thus, economists estimate that as many as 32 million people are unemployed, or20 percent of the workforce.
3. African American businesses have been hit especially hard by the quarantine with more than 41 percent having to close during the pandemic.
   • One of the reasons these businesses have been hit especially hard is that they were in industries that were deemed non-essential, therefore, legally, they could not open their doors.
   • Furthermore, few of these businesses received money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) because mainstream banks traditionally work with existing customers, many of whom are not African Americans, based on a long history of discrimination.
4. The pandemic has also shined a light on the shortage of workers with the necessary skills needed in the workplace. Colleges and universities are experiencing pressure to institute more job training programs for students, something U.S. colleges have long had trouble doing.
   • Only 11 percent of business leaders in a Gallup poll believe graduates were effectively prepared for the workplace, and 42 percent of employers consider them to be proficient in “professionalism” or “work ethic.”