Public Works Management & Policy · 2020 · 21 citations · 1 references
OrganizationsCritical Infrastructure ProtectionEssential WorkersWorker HealthPolicy AnalysisUnited StatesInfrastructure ManagementCovid-19Infrastructure InvestmentPublic HealthEconomicsPublic PolicyEmploymentHuman InfrastructureHealth WorkforceGlobal Health CrisisCovid-19 PandemicHealth ReimbursementHealth SystemsInfrastructure DevelopmentCovid-19 EraEconomic PolicyWorkforce DevelopmentWorkplace Health SurveillanceBusinessSecurityEssential WorkforceEssential Services Online
The United States requires an enormous class of workers to keep essential services online. The Department of Homeland Security uses a sweeping definition of such essential industries from grocery stores to hospitals to warehouses, which collectively employed 90 million workers prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A portion of these essential workers—or “frontline” workers—must physically show up to their jobs and have been especially vulnerable to additional health and economic risks, including many employed in infrastructure-related activities. This analysis—based on Brookings Institution posts written in March and June 2020—defines the country’s essential workforce and explores their economic and demographic characteristics in greater depth, revealing a need for continued protections and investments as part of the COVID-19 recovery.
1