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Is anybody home? remote working opportunities and employment during the covid-19 crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Elizabeth Knowlton

    (Ohio Wesleyan University)

  • Goran Skosples

    (Ohio Wesleyan University)

  • Robert J. Gitter

    (Ohio Wesleyan University)

Abstract

The article examines how the ability to work from home has impacted the level of employment across Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. We use the share of jobs that can be performed at home and the ability of workers to work from home as measured by internet availability to show that both had a statistically significant impact on the level of employment. We control for the effect of the CARES Act and find that larger unemployment benefits reduced employment. Our estimations also indicate that as the share of essential workers decreased and the lagged number of COVID-19 cases increased, levels of employment increased. Restrictions in the form of stay-at-home orders, however, reduced employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Knowlton & Goran Skosples & Robert J. Gitter, 2022. "Is anybody home? remote working opportunities and employment during the covid-19 crisis," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 42(2), pages 350-359.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-21-00632
    as

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    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2022/Volume42/EB-22-V42-I2-P32.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dingel, Jonathan I. & Neiman, Brent, 2020. "How many jobs can be done at home?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Seung Jin Cho & Jun Yeong Lee & John V. Winters, 2021. "Employment impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic across metropolitan status and size," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 1958-1996, December.
    3. Alexander W. Bartik & Marianne Bertrand & Feng Lin & Jesse Rothstein & Matthew Unrath, 2020. "Measuring the Labor Market at the Onset of the COVID-19 Crisis," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 51(2 (Summer), pages 239-268;316.
    4. Crowley, Frank & Doran, Justin & Ryan, Geraldine, 2020. "The impact of Covid-19 restrictions on workers: Who is most exposed?," SRERC Working Paper Series SRERCWP2020-3, University College Cork (UCC), Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre (SRERC).
    5. Erik Brynjolfsson & John J. Horton & Adam Ozimek & Daniel Rock & Garima Sharma & Hong-Yi TuYe, 2020. "COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Early Look at US Data," NBER Working Papers 27344, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; employment; work from home; CARES Act;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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