Overall, the economy was doing pretty well at the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, and it had remained strong into President Trump’s first term until March when coronavirus job losses began. Here’s how Trump compares to other presidents on the number of jobs added:

Workers in most fields are still struggling

Unemployment is now higher than it was in 2018

The traditional unemployment rate — known by government statisticians as the U-3 rate — counts only those who are unemployed and actively looking for work. But it doesn't include people who have given up looking for work, so-called discouraged workers, or those who are working part time but would like to be full time. The U-6 rate does incorporate those workers.

Average hourly wages spike

Wage growth increased dramatically since last March despite heavy job losses. The reason is because more low-wage workers have lost their jobs — about 35 percent — compared to high-wage workers. When those low-wage workers are no longer represented in the data the government uses to calculate earnings the average increases. Average earnings for private sector workers was $29.47 in Aug..

[You’re not getting a raise and nobody knows why]

Labor force participation has dropped below 82 percent

The labor force participation rate tracks the percent of the population that is either currently working or actively looking for work. The rate had steadily declined for workers between 25 and 54 years old since its peak in the late 1990s, in large part due to changes in the makeup of the U.S. population. However, the rate began to bounce back in 2015 as the economy recovered from the recession. It is now below the historic lows of 2014 and 2016.