We’ve been keeping an eye on the weekly COVID-19 Work and Education Survey from Strada, a nonprofit working to forge pathways between education and employment.
As the nation deals with COVID-19, Americans continue to worry about job loss and any resulting negative financial impact, and the survey finds “the ramifications are felt disproportionately among people of color.”
The survey, now in its fourth week, samples the opinions of more than 4,000 adults to examine the pandemic’s impact on their lives, jobs and future educational opportunities.
Sixty-two percent of the people now say they are worried they will lose their jobs, down slightly from the previous week when 64 percent said they were worried. But the current percentage of those worried about job loss jumps among Asian Americans (72 percent), Latino Americans (72 percent), and African Americans (68 percent).
In the last month, 54 percent of Americans have lost jobs or income. Among Latino Americans, 66 percent are the most likely to have lost income, with 40 percent most likely to have had cuts in hours or shifts. Twenty-five percent of African Americans are most likely to have been laid off.
Slightly more than a third of Americans feel they will need further education to find a comparable job if they lose their current job. Those percentages are higher among Latino Americans (38 percent) and Asian Americans (36 percent).
When it comes to education, most Americans (53 percent) prefer online education and training options, while 26 percent prefer learning in person. Twenty-one percent favor education and training provided by employers.
The intent of Strada’s weekly study is “to provide insights to the education and training providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating the crisis.”
You can follow the survey here.