RT Article
T1 Patterns of Earnings and Employment by Worker Sex, Race, and Ethnicity Using State Administrative Data: Results from a Sample of Workers Connected to Public Assistance Programs
JF Race and social problems
VO 15
IS 2
SP 166
OP 186
A1 Heflin, Colleen
A1 Morrissey, Taryn
A2 Morrissey, Taryn
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1843762617
AB During the strong economic conditions that predated the COVID-19 pandemic, many US workers, especially females and individuals of color, suffered from economic vulnerability. Despite growing research attention, we lack an understanding of how the prevalence and patterns of earnings and job instability vary with worker characteristics, particularly at the intersections between sex and race/ethnicity. This study uses longitudinal administrative data from a large, diverse state from 2015 through 2018 to document changes in earnings and jobs. We then examine variation in the size, frequency, and direction of these changes by worker sex and race/ethnicity among a subsample of workers who are connected to the public welfare system. Results indicate that, as expected, workers who are connected to the public welfare system experienced higher levels of economic vulnerability, but with substantial racial/ethnic and sex differences. As a consequence, a large number of workers—disproportionately those of color—were experiencing high levels of economic instability during a period of strong economic growth. Our findings have implications for policy and practice strategies.
K1 ethnic differences
K1 Sex
K1 Racial
K1 Income volatility
K1 Low-wage workforce
K1 Economic instability
DO 10.1007/s12552-022-09371-6