Understanding the Experiences, Needs, and Voices of Workers in Low-Income Households During COVID-19

Publication Date: September 27, 2022
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  • Published: 2022

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout have caused major disruptions for many workers and their families, particularly individuals working in jobs with low wages. This report, The Experiences, Needs, and Voices of Workers in Low-Income Households During COVID-19 (PDF), and its accompanying brief, Facing Challenges and Showing Resilience: Reflections of Workers from Low-Income Households During COVID-19 (PDF), summarize the experiences that 41 such workers shared during in-depth interviews. Capturing the often-neglected voices of those who have been directly impacted by the pandemic provides an important firsthand perspective on the pandemic’s impact on people in the low-wage labor market.

The in-depth interviews examined how the respondents’ employment situations changed during the pandemic and the financial struggles they faced as a result of losing their job or having their work hours reduced. Their narratives shed light on the wide range of challenges they encountered in both of their roles—as workers and caregivers—and the coping strategies they used to make ends meet. Direct quotes from interview participants and sketches of their experiences are included throughout the report and brief to lift up the voices of the individuals and learn from their lived experiences.

Purpose

This study is designed to deepen understanding of how individuals working in jobs with low wages experienced and navigated the COVID-19 pandemic by listening to their personal narratives. The stories and experiences workers share in this report and brief can help policymakers, employers, and programs that are interested in better supporting individuals with low incomes and their families.

Key Findings and Highlights

  • Workers interviewed for this study held jobs that were particularly susceptible to the pandemic’s economic effects, and almost all experienced some disruption in their employment during the pandemic. Although some of them were involuntarily laid off or had their hours reduced, others quit for pandemic-related health and safety reasons or because they needed to care for their children when schools and child care options were closed.
  • With little or no savings to fall back on, the combination of reduced earnings and increased expenses put some workers into debt or deepened existing debt. COVID-related government relief provided some temporary support, but at least half of the workers who were interviewed described how they still struggled to keep up.
  • For many individuals, problems caused by loss of earnings were exacerbated by increases in food and utility expenses as families spent more time in the home instead of at work or school.
  • To help make ends meet, most of the interviewed workers sought support from local community organizations, family, and friends; and relied on services provided by employment programs, including temporary financial assistance. Most also continued to rely on the government support they were receiving before the pandemic.
  • The employment programs the workers participated in both before and during the pandemic responded to the crisis at hand and provided a range of services that went above and beyond typical offerings. The interviewed workers appreciated the increased communication and check-ins from staff, the suggestions and referrals to additional community resources and, in some cases, the extra financial support.   
  • Participants described emotional stresses and mental health challenges caused by the pandemic, but also demonstrated strength and resilience in coping with them.

Methods

The research team recruited study participants from four employment programs that serve people with low incomes who face various challenges to employment: (1) Bridges from School to Work (Bridges); (2) Families Achieving Success Today (FAST); (3) Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS); and (4) LIFT. Individuals were eligible for the study if they were between the ages of 18 and 59 and were employed at any job for pay (either part or full time) when the pandemic hit in early 2020.

The research team conducted in-depth interviews with eligible workers between September and December 2020. The interviews took place by phone or videoconference and lasted between one and two hours. The research team asked open-ended questions designed to stimulate a conversation. With consent from study participants, the research team recorded and transcribed the interviews, and coded them using the NVivo qualitative data analysis software package. The research team analyzed the coded data to examine themes that addressed the research questions and to find supporting quotations. 

Citation

Report: Kauff, Jacqueline, P. Holcomb, and L. Ochoa. “The Experiences, Needs, and Voices of Workers in Low-Income Households During COVID-19.” OPRE Report #2022-173. Washington, DC: Office of Planning Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022.

An earlier version of the report included a reference to the Heroes Act on page 10 to illustrate a federal initiative that provided financial assistance to interview participants. However, that Act did not become law, so the authors removed the reference and added an end note where the revision was made that includes this explanation.