San Diego employees in the tourism, retail and education industries have been the workers most disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic, a new economic report by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) revealed Thursday.
According to the agency, about 4 out of 5 workers in those sectors have been out of work due to closures impacted by the pandemic – totaling about 141,000 employees in the region. That figure comprises of about 80% of the region’s workforce who was unemployed in the last six months.
“Additional disparities include females being more likely to experience a job loss in the Education sector, and younger workers and those who identified as Hispanic being more likely to lose jobs in the Tourism sector,” SANDAG said in its report.
SANDAG’s findings estimate that 1 in 5 female employees who lost their job worked in the education sector, while about 50% of Hispanic workers who lost their job worked in the tourism field. About 2 in 3 young workers, whose ages run from 16 to 24, who lose their jobs also worked in tourism.
San Diego’s unemployment rate peaked at about 25% in mid-May, with more than 400,000 residents out of work. Currently, about 176,000 workers in the region remain without a job.
Economy During the Pandemic
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Before the pandemic, the region’s unemployment rate was at 3.1%, with just more than 50,000 unemployed individuals. At this time, the city’s unemployment rate is estimated to be “holding steady between 14% and 17% for the last couple of months,” SANDAG reports.
With many jobs lost due to the pandemic’s clutch, San Diego’s economy is estimated to lose a staggering $12.4 billion in 2020. In the first six months of the year, $4.8 billion in estimated wages lost has been reported.
The agency forecasted the estimates based on “the most current independent sources available at the time of this report.”
