June 9, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire nation. People in all fifty states are out of work in record numbers. Small businesses are struggling to survive amidst a drop in customers and new social distancing regulations. More people than ever are staying home instead of going out into their communities. Unemployment rates are incredibly high, but Latinas, in particular, have been hit incredibly hard.
19% of Latina workers were out of work in May 2020. That is more than 2% higher than the next ethnic group (16.8% of black workers are unemployed). In contrast, only 12.2% of white men report being out of work. This data proves that institutional barriers still exist for Latinas in the working world. Economists have stated that since most of the jobs available to Latinas are low paying service jobs, like store clerks, childcare workers, and home health aides, they are the first to get cut amidst this pandemic.
The fact that Latinas tend to hold low-paying jobs presents another economic problem – a lack of savings. Minimum wage jobs keep workers living from paycheck to paycheck, and since service and care-related jobs cannot be done from home, we see unemployment rates in such large numbers. Without steady paychecks, this group of people will not be able to pay their bills. This will only serve to widen the economic disparity between Latinas and nearly all other ethnic groups.
There is also a very high chance that Latinas who have kept their jobs are performing essential work as custodians, delivery drivers, and healthcare aides, which puts them at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19. An economist from the University of Massachusetts in Boston put it well when he said, “It’s like the worst of all worlds. It’s the worst of COVID. [Latinas] are in these industries where they’ve been laid off in droves, and they’re also overrepresented among front-line workers.”
If you or a loved one are suffering during this pandemic and need support filing for unemployment or finding other resources that may be available to you, then call our law firm in Glendale, California, for help and support. We are for all workers, and we can help you to stay afloat during this challenging time.
