FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Northeast Indiana lost more than 19,000 jobs in the first year of the pandemic.

That’s according to an economic study done by Purdue Fort Wayne and published this week in the Indiana Business Review.

Allen County was the biggest victim of job losses between 2019 and 2020, losing 9,358 jobs – or 5.4% of its workforce – but Noble County lost more than 10% of its private sector employment albeit at a lower cumulative number.

The report, which you can find through this link, says Fort Wayne-area employers will most likely continue to see staffing shortages and hiring difficulties through the end of 2022.