US Services Sector Falls Into Contraction, First in a Decade

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. service sector plunged into contraction territory for the first time in a decade in April as the shutdowns and layoffs that occurred last month because of the coronavirus took a toll.

The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its service-sector index fell to a reading of 41.8 April, compared to a March reading of 52.5.

Any reading below 50 signals that the service sector, where the majority of Americans work, is in a contraction.

It was the first time the services index has been in contraction since December 2009 and it was the lowest reading since the index stood at 40.1 in March 2009, at the depths of the Great Recession.