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With cases of the virus still on the rise,
about 40% of the U.S. labor force is working from home. They are
five times as likely to have a university degree as those who
are not, Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom said at an
event convened on Thursday by the San Francisco Federal Reserve
Bank to discuss the future of work.
Surveys show that most want to keep working at home at least
part-time even after the pandemic is over, and a recent survey
by the Atlanta Fed shows firms expect that as well.
At the same time, about 30% of people are still doing their jobs
in person, Bloom noted. Their jobs tend to be lower-paying, and
often put workers at risk of contracting the virus either on the
job or during their commute.
Another 30%, Bloom said, have lost their jobs or left the
workforce. They risk their skills and work connections
atrophying, setting them up for potentially lower pay in the
future.
The pandemic has thrown a spotlight on inequalities of all
sorts, including access to healthcare, housing and jobs.
"Working from home really risks a big increase in inequality,"
Bloom said.
But to Github Chief Operating Officer Erica Brescia, a fellow
panelist, the ability to work from home makes businesses "much
more inclusive."
Giving workers the flexibility to arrange their schedules around
non-work obligations has made it possible to hire people who
otherwise might not have been able to take a job, she said.
Github allowed workers to work fully or partly from home even
before the pandemic.
Recent census data shows that women ages 25-44 are almost three
times as likely as men to be out of work, due to the demands of
childcare.
(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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