Workers who lost jobs during the pandemic were largely those in customer service or tourism-related jobs, or workers without the ability to work from home. In addition, we saw that low-skilled workers were also disproportionately impacted by job losses. In contrast, the impact on workforces in the most advantaged parts of these cities has been much smaller.
Across our metropolitan regions, there was a consistent relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and poor employment outcomes over 2020; reflecting an inequality of employment outcomes that may be exacerbated by the end of major fiscal support programs.
The data throws doubt on the idea that we were ever truly ‘in this together’. It suggests that our disadvantaged communities bore the brunt of the effects of the pandemic and the pandemic response.