When Face-to-Face Interactions Become an Occupational Hazard: Jobs in the Time of COVID-19

Besart Avdiu and Gaurav Nayyar

No 9240, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: There is a crisis of demand brewing around the globe as social distancing becomes the norm to counter the COVID-19 outbreak. So, which parts of the economy are most in the line of fire? Looking at jobs that can be done at home or that require a high degree of face-to-face interactions with consumers can capture complementary but distinct mechanisms to assess this vulnerability. This paper uses data on 900 job titles from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database for the United States to demonstrate that there is substantial heterogeneity in vulnerability across industries, income groups, and gender. First, industries vary in whether they emphasize face-to-face interactions and home-based work and the two do not always go hand-in-hand. Second, occupations that are less amenable to home-based work are largely concentrated among the lower wage deciles. Third, a larger share of women's employment is accounted for by occupations that are intensive in face-to-face interactions.

Keywords: Labor Markets; International Trade and Trade Rules; Common Carriers Industry; Food&Beverage Industry; Plastics&Rubber Industry; Textiles; Apparel&Leather Industry; Pulp&Paper Industry; Construction Industry; Business Cycles and Stabilization Policies; General Manufacturing; Gender and Development; Public Health Promotion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-05-11
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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