Economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic falls hardest on Mainers of color

The pandemic shined a lens on existing racial and gender disparities in Maine and throughout the country during the pandemic, highlighting large differences in access to jobs and benefits such as the ability to telecommute, economists said on Tuesday.

They said there are three groups of workers in the COVID-19 economy: those who lost their jobs and faced increased economic insecurity, those classified as essential and who faced increased health risks and those who were able to continue working from the safety of their homes. Women and people of color were often concentrated in low-wage work and were more at risk of job losses and COVID-19 exposure at work.

Click here to read the full story, first published November 9, 2021, in the Bangor Daily News.