New York City, US
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Almost one-third of Americans have lost work or income due to the coronavirus, especially low-income earners, by getting fired, laid off or having their hours cut, research showed on Monday.
Gallup, a US-based polling company, found 30 per cent of adults in America – a nation with nearly 256 million people over age 18 – reported seeing their jobs or finances affected by the epidemic.
People wear protective face masks as they wait in line to receive free food at a curbside pantry for needy residents run by the Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, US, on 24th April. PICTURE: Reuters/Mike Segar
Ten per cent said they had been temporarily laid off – but 85 per cent of those believed they would get their jobs back – a quarter suffered a loss of income, and one in six had hours reduced.
Among less affluent people, four per cent lost their job permanently, compared with two per cent of adults overall, according to Gallup, as the number of known infections in the United States topped 970,000 with more than 55,000 deaths.
Among people earning less than $US36,000 a year, 14 per cent were laid off and 32 per cent had a loss of income.
“These impacts have been more pronounced among those in lower income brackets,” the researchers said.
The poll was the latest study to show low income workers being hit hardest by the coronavirus, with a Pew Research Center report last week finding people of color and those without a college degree were more likely to report a job loss or pay cut.
Business shutdowns have led to a record 26.5 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits since mid-March with forecasts by the Trump administration that the jobless rate would likely hit 16 per cent or more in April.
The Gallup poll was conducted online between 13th and 19th April among a random sample of 5,725 US adults.
