UM23-07: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Effects of COVID-19 on Job Separation and Financial Precarity
Researchers
Abstract
Drawing on Health and Retirement Study data collected in 2021, we will examine racial differences in the COVID-19 pandemic’s consequences on financial security. We hypothesize that, relative to their white counterparts, Black and Hispanic older workers were more likely to experience employment disruption, and this disruption was more likely to be related to illness or needing to care for another person. Additionally, we hypothesize that Black and Hispanic workers with disruptions were more likely to experience a major financial setback (e.g., missed payment), and such setbacks are associated with pre-COVID-19 financial precarity.