Only about 25% of the U.S. workforce 鈥� some 35.6 million people 鈥� are in jobs that can easily be done at home, a 91爆料 researcher has determined, as these are the positions in which using a computer is important but interacting with the public is not. These jobs are typically in highly-paid occupational sectors such finance, administration, management, computers, engineering and technology.
Consequently 颅鈥� with orders to close businesses and demands that employees work from home growing daily to combat the spread of COVID-19 鈥� the 75% of workers who cannot work from home are not only at risk of increased exposure to disease but also other job disruptions such as layoffs, furloughs or hours reductions, said 91爆料 researcher .
Related research by Baker:聽Millions of US workers at risk of infections on the job, 91爆料 researchers calculate, emphasizing need to protect against COVID-19
The nearly 20% of U.S. workers, or 28.2 million, in occupations where interacting with the public is important, but using a computer is not 鈥� such as in food service, retail, personal services and transportation operators 鈥� are especially vulnerable to job loss or hours reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Baker, an assistant professor in the 91爆料 School of Public Health鈥檚 Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.
鈥淢any of these workers are susceptible to layoffs or cuts in hours as the public is instructed to stay home, social distance, avoid non-essential outings and limit contact with other people as much as possible,鈥� said Baker. 鈥淎ll workplaces are going to face disruptions during a public health emergency such as COVID-19, but the workers that cannot work from home, don鈥檛 perform what are considered essential services, and tend to be lower paid could be hit the hardest.鈥�
While聽the federal stimulus package does include protections for these workers, policymakers going forward will need to make sure vulnerable workers are able to return to work and not face lasting negative health or job effects due to COVID-19, Baker said.
鈥淭hese are workers that need to be highlighted in conversations around social safety nets and need to be guaranteed access to things like paid sick leave, paid family leave, unemployment benefits for both lost jobs and reduced hours and guaranteed pay even if hours are reduced,鈥� Baker added.
Baker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data characterizing the of interacting with the public and the importance of at work to understand which workers would experience work disruptions due to COVID-19.
鈥淭he public is being told to stay home and work, but these workers can鈥檛 perform their work duties from home. As a double whammy, the more the public stays home, the more likely many of these workers will face hours reductions or lose their jobs, since they rely on the public to keep working,鈥� said Baker.聽鈥淲e need to ensure these workers are protected both at work and also in the event they can no longer go to work. It is important they don鈥檛 fall between the cracks.鈥�
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For more information, contact Baker at bakermg@uw.edu or 206-616-4709
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