NUMBER OF THE DAY
The Disproportionate Covid-19 Risk for Workers of Color, by the Numbers
A greater share of Black, Latinx, and Native American workers are in jobs with a risk of coronavirus exposure than white workers
51%: That’s the share of Black and Latinx workers whose jobs must be done in person and in proximity to others, according to a study by the Urban Institute as reported by CNBC. In comparison, just 41% of white workers hold such jobs.
The disproportionate health impact of Covid-19 on minority communities has been known for months. In May, Max Ufberg wrote in GEN about the Navajo Nation coping with a higher per capita rate of infection than any U.S. state (Urban Institute also found Native Americans more likely than white workers to hold jobs with high Covid-19 risk). And in June, Emily Mullin explained on the Medium Coronavirus Blog why the pandemic has been taking a higher toll on Black communities.
That members of these communities are in occupations that put them at greater risk of exposure to the virus is a contributing factor to the disparate impact of Covid-19. The pandemic has deepened the rift in the economy between the workers who can do their jobs remotely and those who can’t, with greater job losses…
