The seasonally adjusted numbers for legal sector jobs showed modest growth of about 1,600 jobs in February, rising to 1,162,600 total from a revised estimate of 1,161,000 jobs in January, an increase of about 0.14%.
The number represents a slower rate of growth than was seen in January, when the industry added 4,700 jobs, but does bring the jobs numbers even closer to finally regaining the last of the ground lost during the Great Recession. The number of seasonally adjusted legal industry jobs in January 2008 was 1,168,800. Two years later, it was 1,110,200.
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Despite some reports that law firm leaders were pessimistic about the legal industry's prospects in 2020, the year has so far started strong, adding more than 6,000 jobs in two months. The increase also comes after a strong 2019, when the industry grew by about 10,500 jobs.
The increase also comes despite general economic upheaval caused by the spread of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, although the number of cases in the United States was still very low at the end of February. As the virus has continued to spread, it has also impacted the legal industry, with many firms reacting by restricting employee travel, encouraging employees to work remotely and even canceling some firm events.
Observers have been concerned that the spread of the virus may have a lingering impact on firms' business that could affect the rate of hiring and promotions.
Michelle Fivel, a partner with legal recruiting firm Major Lindsey & Africa, said that she has yet to see any sign that the coronavirus outbreak has impacted legal hiring.
She predicted that if the virus continues to have an economic impact, that could affect the rate of business deals as well as firms' corporate law hiring. However, she said, the largest demand she's seeing right now is for litigators, an area much less likely to be affected.
"There is still a huge demand for talent," Fivel said. "There's a lot of open positions all across practice areas, so I don't think things are going to slow down."
Fivel noted, however, that with so much uncertainty surrounding the potential scale of the outbreak, it was impossible to be completely sure about the effects.
Despite the volatility of the stock market attributed to COVID-19, the jobs report showed a steady increase in the number of jobs. Overall, the category of professional and technical services, which includes the legal industry, had a strong month in February and grew by about 0.33%. The total economy, meanwhile, added 273,000 nonfarm jobs, growth of about 0.17%, and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.5%.
--Editing by Jay Jackson Jr.
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