What the COVID-19 Crisis Means for Wisconsin’s Working People
In just a few months, COVID-19 upended the Wisconsin economy. The crisis has touched nearly every worker — leaving some without jobs, others dangerously exposed at work, and sending still others to work in their homes. Transformation is dramatic, but it flows through well-worn channels. COVID-19 exposes and exacerbates Wisconsin’s long-standing and deep inequities, including the state’s Black/white disparity.
Worker Experiences
COVID-19 is transforming work more rapidly than standard data can track. Workers’ lives provide a more immediate picture. In recognition and honor of the national movement for Black lives, we begin with profiles of Black workers in Wisconsin. We are grateful to the workers who shared their experience with us.
Tracking the Crisis
In March, COVID-19’s impact on the economy was immediate. Jobs plummeted. Unemployment skyrocketed. Key data show how we are doing relative to February 2020, before the collapse.
299,600
Jobs Lost
Wisconsin has 10% fewer jobs than it did before the COVID-19 crisis hit in March 2020.
8.5%
Unemployment
In June, Wisconsin unemployment was 2x the February 2020 unemployment rate (3.5%).
88,600
Leisure/Hospitality
Jobs Lost
Restaurants, hotels, & more were hardest-hit; the sector lost three in ten of its jobs.
Explore the Data
The impact of COVID-19 is fast-moving and frequently changing. Dig deeper into this federal data.
Explore the Data
Analyzing the Numbers
Our up to date analysis of what the data say about the collapse and tentative recovery.
Read the Analysis
Explore More
Guest Spotlight
We Cannot Rest: Information & Inspiration to Make Good Trouble
By Michele Mackey
Forward Community Investments Interim CEO & Kids Forward COO (on loan)
Updates
June Analysis: Historic Losses followed by Strong Recovery
This analysis covers June 2020 data. In March, the US took dramatic steps to stop the spread of COVID-19. Many states issued stay-at-home orders and the economy contracted dramatically. Jobs fell away and unemployment spiked. …
July 22, 2020
State of Working Wisconsin: Now Live
Contact: Laura Dresser, Associate Director, ldresser@cows.org, 608-695-9065 Today, COWS launched the State of Working Wisconsin 2020, which tracks the ongoing economic indicators of the COVID-19 crisis in the state. In just a few months, COVID-19 …
July 22, 2020- All Posts
Pandemic Exposes and Exacerbates Black-white Disparities
Before the COVID-19 crisis, Black-white disparities in Wisconsin were among the worst in the nation. COWS documented these disparities in our 2019 report, Race in the Heartland. As COVID-19 has widened Black-white gaps nationally, Wisconsin’s racial divide, already pronounced, is likely growing as well. The response to the crisis and the recovery must focus on racial justice.
