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When Face-to-Face Interactions Become an Occupational Hazard : Jobs in the Time of COVID-19

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  • Avdiu,Besart
  • Nayyar,Gaurav

Abstract

There is a crisis of demand brewing around the globe as social distancing becomes the norm to counter the COVID-19 outbreak. So, which parts of the economy are most in the line of fire? Looking at jobs that can be done at home or that require a high degree of face-to-face interactions with consumers can capture complementary but distinct mechanisms to assess this vulnerability. This paper uses data on 900 job titles from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database for the United States to demonstrate that there is substantial heterogeneity in vulnerability across industries, income groups, and gender. First, industries vary in whether they emphasize face-to-face interactions and home-based work and the two do not always go hand-in-hand. Second, occupations that are less amenable to home-based work are largely concentrated among the lower wage deciles. Third, a larger share of women's employment is accounted for by occupations that are intensive in face-to-face interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Avdiu,Besart & Nayyar,Gaurav, 2020. "When Face-to-Face Interactions Become an Occupational Hazard : Jobs in the Time of COVID-19," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9240, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:9240
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dingel, Jonathan I. & Neiman, Brent, 2020. "How many jobs can be done at home?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Oldenski, Lindsay, 2012. "Export Versus FDI and the Communication of Complex Information," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 312-322.
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    3. Meng-Ying Wang & Li-Chen Chou, 2024. "Evaluating information asymmetry effects on hotel pricing: a comparative analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Taiwan’s market," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Tobias Otterbring, 2023. "Physical proximity as pleasure or pain? A critical review of employee–customer proximity in sales and services settings," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(2), pages 209-221, June.
    5. Timothy Köhler & Haroon Bhorat & Robert Hill & Benjamin Stanwix, 2023. "Lockdown stringency and employment formality: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 57(1), pages 1-28, December.
    6. Natalia Porto & Pablo De la Vega, 2021. "Employment and teleworking in the tourism sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case of Argentina," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4506, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    7. Schettino, Francesco & Scicchitano, Sergio & Suppa, Domenico, 2024. "COVID 19 and Wage Polarization: A task based approach," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1398, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Yuan, Kaibin & Li, Wanli & Zhang, Weijun, 2023. "Your next bank is not necessarily a bank: FinTech expansion and bank branch closures," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    9. Jiang, Mingyu & Yasui, Kengo & Yugami, Kazufumi, 2024. "Working from home, job tasks, and productivity," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8).
    10. Richard Florida & Todd Gabe, 2023. "COVID-19, the New Urban Crisis, and Cities: How COVID-19 Compounds the Influence of Economic Segregation and Inequality on Metropolitan Economic Performance," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 37(4), pages 328-348, November.
    11. Shao, Wen-Chao & Zhang, Han & Chou, Li-Chen & Ye, Xi-Xi, 2023. "Comparing athletes’ mastery of salary information before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from the national basketball association," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    12. Cueva,Ronald & Del Carpio,Ximena Vanessa & Winkler,Hernan Jorge, 2021. "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Informal Labor Markets : Evidence from Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9675, The World Bank.
    13. Ali Zarifhonarvar, 2023. "A Survey on the Impact of Covid-19 on the Labor Market," The Journal of Social Sciences Research, Academic Research Publishing Group, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, 03-2023.

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