Education, Race, and Jobs in the COVID-19 Crisis

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the US economy—and staggering unemployment numbers still do not fully reflect the extent of the crisis. This analysis reveals that the economic burden has fallen on the most vulnerable groups in our society: workers without bachelor’s degrees, Black and Latino workers, low-income families, parents, and young adults.

The pandemic has hastened some long-term structural changes to the economy. Business closures have inflicted a sudden, devastating blow on industries that employ significant numbers of workers without bachelor’s degrees, including retail and especially leisure and hospitality. Black and Latino adults, workers from low-income households, and parents who have to worry about taking care of their children have been more likely to lose much-needed income. And for young people, the disproportionate effects of the recession threaten to affect their finances well beyond the current crisis.