Unemployment

Barnstable County’s monthly average employment is shaped by the seasonal nature of the region s tourism-driven economy, with employment generally increasing during the peak summer season and decreasing during the winter months. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant, sharp increase in unemployment in March and April, with the Accommodations and Food Services and Retail Trade industries, “the backbones of the Cape’s tourist activity,” severely affected. Other heavily affected industries included Health Care and Social Assistance and Construction, which rank among Barnstable County’s largest industries as measured by average monthly employment. By the spring of 2022, unemployment claims appeared to have declined to roughly pre-pandemic levels.