In each state, essential workers make up at least 39% of the workforce. Thank you for your interest. Areas of the country that might not typically be in the foreground of our economic life are becoming clear centers of essential industries. 1101 15th Street,NW Suite 1000Washington, DC 20005, The states with the highest percentage of essential workers in their labor force include Washington, D.C. (74.93%), North Dakota (57.20%), Wyoming (53.46%), Indiana (51.80%), and Kentucky (51.26%). There are proposals in Congress to extend hazard pay, but their future is uncertain . “Essential workers are absolutely more vulnerable,” Mary Osirim, provost and professor of sociology at Bryn Mawr College, told BuzzFeed News. Gavin Newsom ordered everyone to stay home in California unless you are an essential worker. Essential Employment Categories: There are 14 essential employment categories listed by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly highlighted how much society depends upon essential workers. There have been 216,722 confirmed cases in the country with 8,672 recoveries, as the below graphic from Statista illustrates. These workers are being dubbed front-line heroes because they are putting their lives on the line so communities can continue to function. At United Way of the National Capital Area, we’ve worked to mitigate the impact that COVID-19 is having on residents of the Washington D.C. area through coordinating our Emergency Assistance Fund to promote the health, education and financial stability of our community. Knowing that the front line of workers facing this pandemic are in the healthcare industry, we also wanted to call out the states with the most essential workers in healthcare. There’s a stark contrast in suffering between the private and public sectors in this era of unprecedented government intrusion into American life and business. I think there needs to be a fair reflection in the pay people are getting: doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, delivery drivers, everyone at the front of this. Check out our interactive table below to sort through our full dataset. What does this tell us about our economy? However, as we reported in our, , the most common professions in our economy also tend to be paid the least. For example, the, in Washington D.C. include government, healthcare, and community services – all of which are deemed essential under the current situation explains. It includes workers such as doctors and nurses, as well as grocery store clerks, transportation workers, and janitorial staff. Several states have issued orders mandating that everyone aside from nonessential workers stay home ad most businesses shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — While everyone is urged to stay home to protect their health amid the coronavirus pandemic, essential businesses and workers are allowed to carry out their normal duties. Interested in the percentage of essential workers in your state, as well as the top essential industry in all 50 states? For more information on how to give to the United Way NCA Emergency Assistance Fund, visit, As the Pandemic Picks Up Wind, So Do the Philanthropic Partnerships, Why Safety Net Programs Are More Important Than Ever Right Now, United Way NCA Leads the Regional Post-Pandemic Transformation – United Way NCA. To do this, we decided to take a look at which states have the highest percentage of their workforce in these essential industries, as it gives us a solid idea of where the most essential workers are in the U.S. right now. In the meantime, find ways to support essential workers in your community if you are able. In North Dakota and Wyoming, major industries include agriculture and energy. SACRAMENTO, Calif. - This month, Gov. We must also consider the income inequality many workers face, despite now being deemed “essential.”. In 2016, the mean hourly wage for cashiers in Maryland was $9.45. In the meantime, find ways to support essential workers in your community if you are able. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. ... Why many ‘essential’ workers get paid so little, according to experts. As you can see, the national rate of essential workers in the labor force is 45.2%. of workers facing this pandemic are in the healthcare industry, we also wanted to call out the states with the most essential workers in healthcare. Millions of Essential Workers Are Being Left Out of COVID-19 Workplace Safety Protections, Thanks to OSHA. The orders ban all gatherings outside of a single home and require non-essential businesses that require employees to report for work to shut down. In each state, essential workers make up at least 39% of the workforce. Today I helped my parents order some groceries via Instacart. Other states with high percentages of healthcare workers in their labor force include South Dakota (6.7%), North Dakota (6.7%), and Delaware (6.4%). During this time, we’ve all been depending on the workers that have been deemed essential to our society’s continued functioning. A significant portion of these workers, frontline workers, cannot work remotely. They include grocery store clerks, nurses, cleaners, warehouse workers, and bus drivers, among others. According to the federal government's Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 2,150,000 non-postal federal employees. Praise for the heroic work being done by health-care workers to save lives worldwide in dangerous, exhausting conditions is everywhere. For example, the main industries in Washington D.C. include government, healthcare, and community services – all of which are deemed essential under the current situation explains Hard Money Property. Andrew Cuomo said Friday he is ordering all workers in non-essential businesses to stay home and banning gatherings statewide.“Only essential businesses can have workers … Essential worker or not, there are some places where parents can, or even should, send their kids off to school. Many of the essential workers in the U.S. also have to take taxis, rideshares and mass transit to get to work. A List Of Who Qualifies Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. To clear up confusion, CBS2/KCAL9 has compiled the following list: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, just moments before a similar order was issued in L.A. County. While this essential workforce supports the state’s health and basic economic needs, many of these workers are not well equipped to weather the economic challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. The L.A. County health order will stay in effect until April 19, with the possibility of extension. There are about 90 million essential workers nationwide, ... the different priority groups discussed by the C.D.C. The states with the highest percentage of essential workers in their labor force include Washington, D.C. (74.93%), North Dakota (57.20%), Wyoming (53.46%), Indiana (51.80%), and Kentucky (51.26%). In the years to come, that might be a question that communities will have to face. Still, with so many federal agencies deemed essential, it's unclear whether most Americans will … There are four key reasons, economists say, including an entrenched power differential. There are exceptions to … Your contact information has been received. The DHS list gives a detailed analysis of what each worker’s job function must be in order to be considered essential. As many organizations are determining what services and functions are essential to the continuity of operations and incident response, Public Safety Canada has compiled a non-exhaustive list of essential services and functions to support this effort and assist in enabling the movement of critical infrastructure workers within and between jurisdictions. Employees that fall under these categories are referred to as "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers" and are generally required to deliver services around the clock. As you can see, the national rate of essential workers in the labor force is 45.2%. Right now, many essential workers are seeing unprecedented demand for their jobs. RELATED: Coronavirus: Gov. Many essential workers, by contrast, are making less than a living wage even with the increase in pay. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defined 14 sectors of the economy as essential in March 2020. The regular schedules of work, daycare, and school that families depend on have been uprooted, and millions of workers have lost their jobs and have no source of income to depend on right now. In 2016, the mean hourly wage for cashiers in Maryland was $9.45. Areas of the country that might not typically be in the foreground of our economic life are becoming clear centers of essential industries. We can consider these numbers as an indicator of how concentrated critical industries are in that state. Skip to main content. “While there are certain professionals that are of every ethnicity and race in the country, it is also the case that many on the front lines are low-wage … low-status workers and they’re often very disproportionately African American and Latinx.” As you can see, healthcare workers only make up about 5% of our national labor force. However, as we reported in our 2018 Alice Report, the most common professions in our economy also tend to be paid the least. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 30 million US workers were employed in six broad industries that are now on the frontlines of the response. Schools that offer long distance learning, Child care centers that take care of the children of exempted workers. Some examples of essential businesses and workers are obvious, like hospitals, pharmacies, police and firefighters. In each state, essential workers make up at least 39% of the workforce. As you can see, the national rate of essential workers in the labor force is 45.2%. The District of Columbia is tied with West Virginia for the highest concentration of healthcare workers in the country at 7.3%. The Northern Territory says all students are … We estimate that in a typical year, roughly one-third to one-half of California’s labor force is employed in essential … Many more of these young and middle-aged workers—not 80-year-olds with underlying conditions—are breathing through ventilators today. Essential workers share their coronavirus pandemic stories. At United Way of the National Capital Area, we’ve partnered with Windows Catering to deliver, to frontline hospital personnel in medical facilities across the region. These… Nearly a week ago, the House passed The Heroes Act which provides $200 billion in hazard pay funding for essential workers, among many other things. The list is intended to help state, local, tribal and territorial officials as they work to protect their communities while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health, safety, and economic and national security. In the years to come, that might be a question that communities will have to face. For janitors and cleaners, it was $11.55. Millions of … Read on to discover what we found out. Keep up with coronavirus news across Southern California here. We can consider these numbers as an indicator of how concentrated critical industries are in that state. While restaurants, cafes, airlines and car manufacturers are laying off employees, places like Amazon and Walmart are hiring 100,000 and 150,000 more workers, respectively. We must also consider the income inequality many workers face, despite now being deemed “essential.”, What does this tell us about our economy? Often using CISA’s guidelines as a starting point, states have added and subtracted essential worker categories and sectors based on what makes the most sense for them. Our analysis shows that, on average, frontline workers are disproportionately less educated and minority workers, earning below average wages and with a substantial share of workers in the bottom wage quartile. The United States has been weathering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for weeks now, and, as a result, we’ve been forced to reckon with the many inequities that are coming to light. There are 19 million health care workers nationwide, nearly three times as many as in agriculture, law enforcement and the package delivery industry … Some, however, may not be so obvious. At United Way of the National Capital Area, we’ve partnered with Windows Catering to deliver 8,000 meals to frontline hospital personnel in medical facilities across the region. Sanitation workers. Essential workers have been called on to meet our basic needs during the COVID-19 shutdown. It’s hard to overstate how important these essential workers have been to enable us to comply with the stay-at-home order. … In light of this, we wanted to create a visual representation of where essential workers are most concentrated in the United States. Newsom, L.A. County Issue ‘Stay-At-Home’ Orders For Residents, Non-Essential Businesses To Close. The remaining 22 states who have issued essential worker orders have developed their own lists of who needs to be continuing to work under stay-at-home orders. For janitors and cleaners, it was $11.55. For more information on how to give to the United Way NCA Emergency Assistance Fund, visit www.unitedwaynca.org/help. Hazard pay questions are now flying in … Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, At least 6 arrested as Trump supporters gather for DC protests. There have been two U.S. government shutdowns in recent history, Nov 1995 and Dec 1995. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. On the other hand, states like Rhode Island, and Ohio face a very low percentage of healthcare workers compared to the rest of the country, at 3.15% and 2.67% respectively. Looming government shutdowns seem to be a bit of a joke as read here, or on NPR. committee are overlapping — many essential workers have high … Some examples are obvious, like hospitals, pharmacies, police and firefighters. Areas of the country that might not typically be in the foreground of our economic life are becoming clear centers of essential industries. Who Are Essential Workers? New York Gov. Some, however, may not be so obvious. While impossible to break down workers’ job functionality on such a granular level, we analyzed the number of workers in each industry and calculated the percentage of the labor force that is in essential industries in each state using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to DHS' Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), there are 14 categories that the agency recommends as "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers." Essential Workers for Defense Industrial Base. As you can see, healthcare workers only make up about 5% of our national labor force. How many family members of transit workers … Too many essential workers—a term whose definition varies by location but includes millions of health care workers, as well as workers that ensure Americans can … And bus drivers, among others basic needs during the COVID-19 shutdown cashiers in Maryland was $ 9.45 industries... 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