EP 7: The unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic has hit some harder than others
One of the most destructive effects of the coronavirus pandemic has been on jobs. Nationally, more than 35 million people have applied for unemployment benefits.
On this episode of “Life, Community, and COVID-19,” hosts Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia and Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco dive into the challenges facing those whose job future may be forever changed by the pandemic.
Among the hardest hit: women and people of color who work in retail, hospitality, healthcare and education.
What will the future hold for employees of these sectors? What should people expect of the job market? And what solutions could there be for returning to stability?
In addition to our call-in guests, you’ll hear from:
Bill Rodgers, professor of public policy and chief economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University and former chief economist for the U.S. Labor Department.
Shonda Woods, who has asthma and lives just outside Philadelphia and lost her job as home health care contractor and work as ride-share app driver. She’s a single mother of two with one son with disabilities. Even with two degrees and work as a real estate agent, she fears for her future.
Miguel Velasco, the workforce development program manager for MEDA (Mission Economic Development Agency) in San Francisco. He’s seen a huge drop in the ability to place clients into jobs.
You can also follow the conversation in the Twitter thread below.
This show was produced by Susan Britton of KQED and Debbie Bilder of WHYY.