Economy

Labor demand

Economics

Unemployment

Recession

Economic growth

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Disease

Service (business)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Pandemic

Wage

Labour economics

Demographic economics

Pathology

Keynesian economics

Medicine

The Journal of Economic Perspectives

The economic crisis associated with the emergence of the novel corona virus is unlike standard recessions. Demand for workers in high contact and inflexible service occupations has declined while parental supply of labor has been reduced by lack of access to reliable child care and in-person schooling options. This has led to a substantial and persistent drop in employment and labor force participation for women, who are typically less affected by recessions than men. We examine real-time data on employment, unemployment, labor force participation and gross job flows to document the impact of the pandemic by occupation, gender and family status. We also discuss the potential long-term implications of this crisis, including the role of automation in depressing the recovery of employment for the worst hit service occupations.

Effects of the COVID-19 Recession on the US Labor Market: Occupation, Family, and Gender