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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Was there more employment growth in the first four months of the Biden administration than in the first four months of the Reagan and Trump administrations?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps monthly employment growth statistics dating back to 1939.

Presidents are inaugurated on January 20. Using February as each administration's first full month in office:

  • 263,000 jobs were added in the Reagan administration's first four months in office.
  • 683,000 jobs were added in the Trump administration's first four months in office.
  • 2,158,000 jobs were added in the Biden administration's first four months in office, using preliminary figures for April and May 2021.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout and an easing of pandemic restrictions have allowed jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic to be partially recovered, sustaining employment growth that began in the middle of 2020.

The U.S. economy has yet to fully recover the more than 22 million jobs lost between March and April of 2020 due to the pandemic but has gained back nearly 15 million.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National)
Reuters US job growth likely picked up in May, worker shortages still a challenge
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.