Labor force participation

Race Disparities & Consequences of Cancer Diagnosis on Preretirement Work Disruption

March 15, 2024
Susan Barnes
Disability, Disability insurance, Disparities, Health, Health and Retirement Study, Labor force participation, O*NET

Cancer is among the most common health problems that adults face, leading to work disruptions and, consequently, decreased economic security of workers and their families. Black adults have higher risks of cancer-related job disruptions than their white counterparts. No research…

Pathways and Persistence of Labor Force Transitions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

January 30, 2024
Susan Barnes
COVID-19, Demographic trends, Disability, Disparities, Health and Retirement Study, Labor force participation, Retirement

Using new data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we will document pathways out of the labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic; estimate the persistence of transitions into retirement, disability, and other nonwork states for near retirement workers; and…

Changes in the Composition of Disability Insurance Applicants and Recipients in the Wake of the Coronavirus Epidemic

January 15, 2024
Susan Barnes
COVID-19, Demographic trends, Disability insurance, Financial well-being, Health, Labor force participation

Only Spot a Few Blacks the Higher I Go: Occupational Segregation and the COVID-19 Pandemic

January 9, 2024
Susan Barnes
benefit claiming, COVID-19, Disparities, Labor force participation, Social Security

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Labor Market Outcomes in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

January 9, 2024
Susan Barnes
COVID-19, Disparities, Labor force participation

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Expected Labor Supply

Only Spot a Few Blacks the Higher I Go: Occupational Segregation and the COVID-19 Pandemic

December 21, 2023
Susan Barnes
benefit claiming, COVID-19, Disparities, Labor force participation, Social Security

This project examines whether there exists a link between occupational segregation by race and labor market outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate the extent to which workers employed in occupations with higher concentrations of Black workers were more likely…

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Labor Market Outcomes in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

December 21, 2023
Susan Barnes
COVID-19, Disparities, Labor force participation

Using longitudinal data from the Understanding America Study (UAS) covering the onset and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine the evolution of sex and racial/ethnic disparities in employment status and work arrangements. We document differences across workers in the…

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Expected Labor Supply

The pandemic led to a sharp increase in unemployment, which, in previous literature, has been associated with a decline in the labor supply of older individuals: Unemployed persons retire rather than attempt to return to employment. But government programs softened…

Changes in the Composition of Disability Insurance Applicants and Recipients in the Wake of the Coronavirus Epidemic

June 2, 2023
Susan Barnes
COVID-19, Demographic trends, Disability insurance, Financial well-being, Health, Labor force participation

Despite concerns that the enormous economic and health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic would increase Social Security disability benefit claiming, applications dropped during the first nine months of the pandemic. This paper uses Social Security Administration data on new program…