Pandemic Unemployment Effects across Demographic Groups

Duzhak, Evgeniya A.

Journal Article

Pandemic Unemployment Effects across Demographic Groups

Abstract: Workers in service industries and occupations with a lot of close social contact suffered the highest job losses during the pandemic recession. This differed from previous downturns, which tended to have their most severe effects on industries with high concentrations of manual labor. As a result, the unemployment impact of the pandemic on different demographic groups has not followed historical patterns, particularly for Asian, Black, and female workers. The unemployment gap between these racial groups has not been as wide as previous economic fluctuations would have predicted.

Keywords: pandemic; covid19; unemployment gap; diversity;