FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP/WOWO): Defying a wave of layoffs that has sent the U.S. job market into its worst catastrophe on record, at least one major industry is making a comeback:

Tens of thousands of auto workers are returning to factories that have been shuttered since mid-March due to fears of spreading the coronavirus. The auto industry is among the first major sectors of the economy to restart its engine.

About 133,000 U.S. workers – just over half of the industry’s workforce before the pandemic – are expected to pour back into assembly plants that will open in the coming week, including first-shift workers at the Fort Wayne General Motors Assembly Plant, according to Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.

A staggering 36 million people have now sought jobless aid in just the two months since the virus first forced businesses to close down and shrink their workforces.