![]() ![]() ![]() $27.05), with about the same share earning low wages and high wages (in the bottom and top quartiles of the overall wage distribution, respectively) and a similar distribution across broad occupational groups. As compared to the overall workforce, essential workers represent: about the same share of women (46% vs. Using information from the 20 American Community Survey, we find that these essential workers represent about 82 percent of all workers and are as a group quite similar to the labor force as a whole. We use the official industry guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify the broad group of workers “who conduct a range of operations and services that are typically essential to continued critical infrastructure viability.” The industries they support represent, but are not limited to, medicine and healthcare, telecommunications, information technology systems, defense, food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, energy, water and wastewater, law enforcement, public works, and education. Essential workers comprise a large and varied group.Frontline workers earn lower wages on average and are more likely to be members of minority groups than the overall workforce. In contrast, the narrower category of frontline workers, on average, is less educated, has lower wages, and has a higher representation of minorities, especially Hispanics, and immigrants. We continue to find that the broader group of essential workers comprises a large share of the labor force and tends to mirror its demographic characteristics. Here we update our April 2020 EconoFact Memo that analyzed the characteristics of essential workers, and a subcategory of this group, frontline workers, with more recent data and using revised guidelines issued by the government. Some of these workers are “frontline” and must provide their labor in person while others can work from home. But not all essential workers face the same level of risk of infection. Meyerhofer and Josefine Koebe Ĭornell University, Montana State University, and DIW Berlin / Universität Hamburg The Issue:Įssential workers, who are vital for the core functions of the economy and society, have made vital contributions throughout the pandemic. ![]()
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