DE PERE, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) — The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything most people alive today have ever seen.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Wisconsin are out of work or have had their hours cut. The number of unemployed across the country is soared past 20 million people. All in a little more than a month.

Bars, restaurants, hotels have taken the brunt of the economic the downtown, but so have many other sectors — from healthcare (with layoffs and furloughs due to the ceseation of many elective procedures) to local media and services like spas and stylists.

While some businesses and sectors are cutting jobs, others continue to hire through the pandemic.

“Some of the areas we saw hiring happening in are areas such as manufacturing. Essential manufacturing is going on in Wisconsin,” said Joey Leonard, president of Appleton-based The H.S. Group. “The construction industry. The transportation industry. Even some in the insurance and financial industries.”

The H.S. Group surveyed 121 businesses in the region. Forty-two percent said they continued to hire while 17.5 percent indicated they are in a hiring freeze. About 9 percent are either cutting jobs — or considering making cuts. Another 14 percent said they’re figuring out a hiring strategy crafted around the pandemic.

Employers are also increasingly shifting their hiring online and by phone.

The vast majority of interviews are happened on the phone or by video conferencing, but 35 percent of respondents said they’re still doing in-person interviews — with appropriate social distancing.

Many of the people currently out of work will likely go back to their jobs. But some won’t.

What the job market looks like when the pandemic and its mitigation efforts end remains hazy. Leonard says what the other side holds will largely be determined by how long businesses are shut down. But he points to ongoing hiring as a potential bright spot.

“There’s still quite a bit going on in terms of manufacturing and employers that are still open for business. That’s the silver lining, the good news,” he said. “That’s why, in my opinion, this could bounce back much quicker.”