The count of jobs gained or lost is measured through a survey that asks employers for the number of workers they have on their payrolls during the period of measuring. That excludes workers who were out sick, or missed work for other reasons, like taking care of someone or quarantining. Those people still kept their jobs, but they weren’t accounted for in the report, which is why the number could be misleading.
US Jobs Report Shows Gain of 467,000 in January, Exceeding Expectations
