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[Preprint]. 2021 Apr 6:2020.11.13.20231431.
doi: 10.1101/2020.11.13.20231431.

Racial and ethnic differentials in COVID-19-related job exposures by occupational standing in the US

Noreen Goldman  1 , Anne R Pebley  2 , Keunbok Lee  3 , Theresa Andrasfay  4 , Boriana Pratt  5
Affiliations

Racial and ethnic differentials in COVID-19-related job exposures by occupational standing in the US

Noreen Goldman et al. medRxiv. .

Update in

Abstract

Researchers and journalists have argued that work-related factors may be partly responsible for disproportionate COVID-19 infection and death rates among vulnerable groups. We evaluate these claims by examining racial and ethnic differences in the likelihood of work-related exposure to COVID-19. We extend previous studies by considering 12 racial and ethnic groups and five types of potential occupational exposure to the virus: exposure to infection, physical proximity to others, face-to-face discussions, interactions with external customers and the public, and working indoors. Most importantly, we stratify our results by occupational standing, defined as the proportion of workers within each occupation with at least some college education. This measure serves as a proxy for whether workplaces and workers employ significant COVID-19-related risk reduction strategies. We use the 2018 American Community Survey to identify recent workers by occupation, and link 409 occupations to information on work context from the Occupational Information Network to identify potential COVID-related risk factors. We then examine the racial/ethnic distribution of all frontline workers and frontline workers at highest potential risk of COVID-19, by occupational standing and by sex. The results indicate that, contrary to expectation, White frontline workers are often overrepresented in high-risk jobs while Black and Latino frontline workers are generally underrepresented in these jobs. However, disaggregation of the results by occupational standing shows that, in contrast to Whites and several Asian groups, Latino and Black frontline workers are overrepresented in lower status occupations overall and in lower status occupations associated with high risk, and are thus less likely to have adequate COVID-19 protections. Our findings suggest that greater work exposures likely contribute to a higher prevalence of COVID-19 among Latino and Black adults and underscore the need for measures to reduce potential exposure for workers in low status occupations and for the development of programs outside the workplace.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.. Representation of frontline workers in high-risk occupations relative to representation as frontline workers, by race/ethnicity and sex.
Data are from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS). Occupations are considered to be high-risk if the average value for the risk factor in the O*NET data falls in the highest quartile of the occupations in the analysis.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.. Representation of frontline workers in high-risk occupations relative to representation as frontline workers by occupational standing: White, Black and Latino workers, by sex.
Data are from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS). Occupations are considered to be high-risk if the average value for the risk factor in the O*NET data falls in the highest quartile of the occupations in the analysis. Occupational standing is defined as the percentage of ACS respondents reporting this occupation title who completed at least one year of college education. The 1st quartile represents the lowest quartile of occupational standing and the 4th quartile the highest quartile of occupational standing.
Fig 3.
Fig 3.. Representation of frontline workers in high-risk occupations relative to representation as frontline workers by occupational standing: Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese workers, by sex.
Data are from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS). Occupations are considered to be high-risk if the average value for the risk factor in the O*NET data falls in the highest quartile of the occupations in the analysis. Occupational standing is defined as the percentage of ACS respondents reporting this occupation title who completed at least one year of college education. The 1st quartile represents the lowest quartile of occupational standing and the 4th quartile the highest quartile of occupational standing.
Fig 4.
Fig 4.. Representation of frontline workers in high-risk occupations relative to representation as frontline workers by occupational standing: Korean, Other Asian, and Native American workers, by sex.
Data are from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS). Occupations are considered to be high-risk if the average value for the risk factor in the O*NET data falls in the highest quartile of the occupations in the analysis. Occupational standing is defined as the percentage of ACS respondents reporting this occupation title who completed at least one year of college education. The 1st quartile represents the lowest quartile of occupational standing and the 4th quartile the highest quartile of occupational standing.
Fig 5.
Fig 5.. Representation of frontline workers in high-risk occupations relative to representation as frontline workers by occupational standing: Pacific Islander, Mixed Race, and Other Race workers, by sex.
Data are from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS). Occupations are considered to be high-risk if the average value for the risk factor in the O*NET data falls in the highest quartile of the occupations in the analysis. Occupational standing is defined as the percentage of ACS respondents reporting this occupation title who completed at least one year of college education. The 1st quartile represents the lowest quartile of occupational standing and the 4th quartile the highest quartile of occupational standing.
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