The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense economic damage, but the harm has not been evenly felt. Workers who provide in-person services have borne the brunt of layoffs and wage reductions, as shown in Gallup data collected from April 17-May 17, 2020.
Moreover, those in low-paying jobs are much more likely to have been laid off or seen wage and hour cuts than workers in high-paying jobs.
For 42% of laid-off workers in the bottom quintile of the income distribution among respondents, their bills now exceed their income, and they have been forced to draw upon savings or go into debt.These data further substantiate earlier analysis that less-educated workers in low-wage, blue-collar roles have been hardest hit by COVID-19 and confirm concerns