Changes

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In addition, over a million workers in the sales, services and trade sector were furloughed in 2020 (see the graph on the Monthly evolution in the amount of furloughed workers in sales, services and trade during the pandemic), with April seeing the highest figures. From then on, employees began making a steady and rather quick return to routine work, and by September of the same year, just under 200,000 workers in the sector remained on furlough. This pattern was similar to that observed in the national economy as a whole, as evidenced by the sector’s percentage share on the total amount of workers on furlough, which ranged from 28% to 30%.

The sudden arrival of COVID-19 and lockdown led to a major slowdown in the retail sector. The graph on the Evolution in sales index and occupancy rate in retail trade shows that sales plummeted by around -32% during the first months of the pandemic in Spain (March-April 2020). Once the initial shutdown ended, the comparable sales rates remained negative, as many businesses were either not allowed to open or could not financially justify opening due to the restrictions imposed. As the lockdown measures were gradually loosened, a commercial landscape of businesses that had closed or been forced to change direction began to emerge. Only essential traders, such as food and pharmaceutical suppliers, escaped the closures. As a result, this key indicator of the commercial scene, which has always followed a positive trend, registered negative figures in February 2020. The effects on employment in this sector were even worse, with the positive pre-pandemic figures experiencing a remarkable fall during the pandemic.

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