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US employment inequality in the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • Steven M. Fazzari, Ella Needler

    (Washington University)

Abstract

This article compares inequality in employment across demographic groups in the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. We develop a measure to capture both how much employment declines during a recession and the persistence of employment losses. Results show a significant shift of job loss from men in the Great Recession to women in the COVID-19 lockdown. White workers fare better than other racial/ethnic groups in both recessions. Black and Hispanic women are hit especially hard in the COVID-19 pandemic. With our job-loss measure, less-educated workers had modestly worse outcomes in the Great Recession. However, during COVID-19, less-educated workers suffer much more severe employment consequences than more-educated groups. We discuss long-term effects of employment inequality and how these findings are relevant to debates about policy responses.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven M. Fazzari, Ella Needler, 2021. "US employment inequality in the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 18(2), pages 223–239-2, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:ejeepi:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p223-239
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Baier-Fuentes, Hugo & Andrade-Valbuena, Nelson A. & Huertas Gonzalez-Serrano, Maria & Gaviria-Marin, Magaly, 2023. "Bricolage as an effective tool for the survival of owner-managed SMEs during crises," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Memiyanty Abdul Rahim & Farhatul Mustamirrah Mahamad Aziz & Puteri Nurafiqah binti Mohd Fadli & Fatin Nadhirah binti Mohammad Fadzli & Muhamad ‘Abdin Syakirin bin Muhamad Azmi & Alia Umayrah Mohamma, 2024. "Entrepreneur Bricolage Model Matter for Learning Purpose During the Pandemic," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 4415-4434, August.
    3. Leonardo Carnut & Lucas Uback & Áquilas Mendes, 2023. "Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Cooled Down or Stimulated the Countertendencies of Capital? A Critical Review," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, May.
    4. Christian Zimpelmann & Hans-Martin von Gaudecker & Radost Holler & Lena Janys & Bettina Siflinger, 2021. "Drivers of Working Hours and Household Income Dynamics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Netherlands," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 093, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    5. Nelli, Linnea & Virgillito, Maria Enrica, 2023. "More than a She-recession: Long-term feminization and short-term pandemic effects," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1291, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Paolo Maranzano & Matteo Pelagatti, 2024. "A Hodrick-Prescott filter with automatically selected jumps," Working Papers 2024.18, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    7. Zimpelmann, Christian & Gaudecker, Hans-Martin von & Holler, Radost & Janys, Lena & Siflinger, Bettina, 2021. "Hours and income dynamics during the Covid-19 pandemic: The case of the Netherlands," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment; unemployment; inequality; Great Recession; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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