The total number of shifts worked by people at U.S. businesses declined 1.0% relative to April 2022. Consistent small workforce activity declines in 10 of the last 11 weeks indicate a soft landing for the economy may be in progress, with modest employment gains expected in May. Overall, smaller companies with fewer than 1,000 employees experienced twice as much loss (-1.4%) as larger companies (-0.7%), while shift work in retail (-2.5%) and healthcare (-2.2%) fell the farthest.