When millions of Americans return to work amid the worst economic crisis of a generation, they unexpectedly find that their old positions are much more difficult than before. Their working hours have been reduced, their wages have been reduced and their responsibilities are now much greater. And, despite President Trump's recent proclamations about a recovering economy, their job security remains far from guaranteed.
The new economic data released on Friday found new optimism in the White House as US unemployment rates fell unexpectedly. The official rate was 13.3% in May, compared to 14.7% in April. Over the same period, the country has also created more than 2.5 million jobs, the job department said , surprising experts who expect the market to deteriorate after the fatal corona pandemic . .
Economists, however, argue that federal indicators hide a much darker reality at a time when millions of Americans still have the possibility of sustained unemployment. For those who have kept their old jobs, the recent unfavorable conditions have caused many workers to share their concerns with others and are now concerned about their financial and physical security.
"People are working in very different jobs again than three months ago," said Robert Scott, chief economist at the Left Economic Policy Institute. "They are very risky and there is great uncertainty about what will happen." It is a difficult path and there is a lot to do in the economy. ""
While around 30 million Americans receive unemployment benefits , some return to their old jobs when their states reopen . His return to work coincides with the improvement in employment in the most affected sectors such as retail and hospitality, said Nick Bunker, director of economic research at the recruitment site. Indeed, who described the numbers as signs of a "partial leap". "The data provides early and encouraging news, suggesting that federal programs have helped prevent even more widespread and long-term unemployment," said experts.
At the same time, however, Bunker said that there was an above-average peak in part-time employment, one of the few indicators that indicated that some people had not returned fully to work. In fact, he also found that the highest rate of employment growth was in the low-wage industries, including some grocery and beverage stores, raising questions about how far some Americans might lag behind.
However, senior officials from the Trump administration very much welcomed Friday's employment figures. "Millions of Americans are still unemployed, and the department continues to focus on getting Americans back to work safely and helping states pay unemployment benefits to those in need." Labor Minister Eugene Scalia said Friday. "However, it seems that the worst effects of the corona virus on the country's labor markets are behind us."
For workers in some of these professions, their headaches are just beginning.
When the weather is hot and golfers come to the Pennsylvania fields, Claudia Martin usually returns to her local country club in the southwest corner of the state. The 66-year-old Latrobe resident spends around 30 hours a week every season, helps with administrative tasks and complements her monthly social security check.
But the corona virus has seriously threatened the club's operations, and Martin's working hours have halved since he returned to work this week. "It's a lot less," he said of their salary, threatening their ability to save for the off-season when they're closed and unemployed.
"The money I made with tips would put it aside to survive the winter," said Martin, adding later, "The economy works for some people." However, this does not work for many low-wage workers. ""
Restaurant waiters, waiters, and other employees who rely on a steady stream of customers, and often the advice they leave behind, are disproportionately affected by a pandemic that spreads through social proximity. The corona virus has also decimated the retail sector as online purchases from some of the major brands have reduced in-store sales. Some major employers, including J.Crew and JC Penney, have filed for bankruptcy, while others have reduced their workforce and hours, or changed their job responsibilities completely.
"Retailers need to be more flexible to get their workforce online," said Mark Matthews, vice president of research, development, and industry analysis for the National Retail Federation. He said that employees who once stored shelves and kept records can now transport some of these purchases to customers' cars.
However, the effects of the economic recession are far more widespread, leaving virtually no industry intact in the overall economy of the United States. A report published by the Federal Reserve System called the Beige Book , released in May, revealed that employees across the country were concerned about severe cuts in work and wages.
Hospitals have shifted doctors and nurses on irregular shifts to save money in times of exorbitant spending, and threatened some in the medical industry with wage differentials. Large companies, including Uber, which once promised a small additional monthly income, no longer seem particularly attractive to some Americans and are at risk of exposing drivers and other workers to strangers who may be sick. Some Uber drivers who are still in the hail application say that demand has dropped significantly.
"There is almost nothing on the way. I start my system and have to wait a long time for a job. There's nothing to do right now, "said Pedro Acosta, a 52-year-old Brooklyn resident who has been driving for Uber for almost eight years.
Companies that continue to operate have often asked more of their workers without their net wages increasing significantly.
At the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, about 70 people previously helped clean the tower that housed Iracema Arrieta, he said. But fewer than half of them have returned to work since the outbreak of the coronavirus, although Arrieta and her colleagues now need to do a more systematic and thorough cleaning of the rooms to prevent the virus from spreading. Illness. The job is more difficult and the cleaning solution sometimes makes breathing difficult, he said. In addition, the meetings are much shorter than before, so Arrieta concludes that the state has hurried to reopen.
"I have to pay bills, I have a house, I am a widow, so I really feel like I have no choice but to go back to work because I had no choice." added Arrieta, a native of Spain. She spoke to the Washington Post with the help of a translator from UNITE HERE, a union she belongs to.
However, for other workers, these new essential security measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus have also lowered their wages.
When local businesses started to shut down in the early days of the pandemic and the residents of Georgia ducked with them, plumber Greg Dowis saw a drop in the number of dumpsters he interviewed in Cumming, Georgia. old and his colleagues finally went on personal vacation and sick days when there was not enough work to travel and wondered if their employer, Republic Services, could provide the protective gear to protect them.
"We were often concerned about opening these doors because of liquid spurting out," said Dowis. "It was terrifying."
More work has followed since the reopening of Georgia, but Dowis said that it takes longer to work safely under pandemic conditions and that this affects the bottom line. Employee incentive premiums are based on the number of large containers they can serve each day. Increased vigilance can mean an additional 10 to 15 minutes for each container. Given the current regulations that restrict the flow of sanitary vehicles on the streets, this can result in stops and cash being lacking.
The closure of businesses, the slowdown in spending and the sharp decline in tourism have also created massive gaps in local government budgets . Last month, governments cut more than half a million jobs from their payroll, according to new federal data released on Friday. This figure does not include those whose working hours and wages have dropped significantly and who are threatening their financial future.
Before the corona virus arrived in the United States, Helaine Oleksy was the "lady behind the desk" in a local library near her home town of McHenry, Illinois, an hour from Chicago. He worked about 15 hours a week, helping residents find books and order novels. It often lasted more hours when colleagues were sick or on vacation.
Then came the corona virus that closed the branch in early March. The state library system, which was partially funded by local property taxes, still paid employees like Oleksy part of their working hours when it closed, which made him "extremely happy," he said. But Oleksy added that she was still struggling with her husband, who owns a local car dealership, to pay some of her bills.
"I had to call a few times and say it was going to be late," he said.
The library is expected to reopen next week and will become a direct reader access service that can deliver and collect new books. In this case, Oleksy is responsible for potentially contaminated materials. He praised the library and its security measures, but said he only worked eight hours a week, far from the more complete job he once loved.
"Anyone who returns to work and does not return to work," he said, "I don't know if it counts as work."
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