About the Study

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been unprecedented changes in employment for America’s workforce. Many businesses ceased or scaled back operations and many state governments issued stay-at-home orders. Using key labor force statistics from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), researchers with the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) sought to provide insight into the recent changes. These briefs explore two key aspects of occupations and industries that were associated with employment outcomes for people with and without a disability since February 2020 (prior to the impact of COVID-19):

• Whether it was possible to perform the job at home (i.e., telework)
• Whether the job required workers to be in close proximity with others (i.e., contact intensity)

This study was part of CEO’s Summer Data Challenge on Equity and Underserved Communities, and was produced outside of CEO’s standard research development process.