Impact of covid 19 on blue collared workers
Blue-collar jobs and workers play a critical role in sustaining the economy and the basic functioning of any economy. This article reviews some of the possible impacts of Covid 19 on blue-collar jobs.
The Impact of Covid 19 on Blue-Collared Workers
Covid-19 has significantly impacted blue-collar workers at an increased risk of contracting the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that blue-collar workers are particularly susceptible to contracting it due to their exposure to crowds.
Blue collared workers have been the hardest hit by Covid 19. They work in industries where they are exposed to the public and other people, such as those who work in food service, construction, and manufacturing. Blue-collar jobs are typically low paying, meaning they cannot afford to get some time off to recover from the illness or get treatment.
In addition, blue-collar job workers often do not have access to health insurance, making it difficult for them to access medical care when ill. Covid 19 on blue-collar workers has been devastating. Many have lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of illness or because their employers were forced to close due to a lack of customers due to fear of contagion. Others have had to seek low-paying jobs to survive financially until their conditions improve enough to return to the workforce.
Loss of jobs
Blue-collar workers suffered the most in Covid 19 because they faced heavy job losses. Because of the increased risk of contracting Covid-19, blue-collar workers faced challenges related to their jobs due to the pandemic. With all the industries and conventional blue-collar job sectors closed, blue-collar workers had to leave work. Their financial and mental status went on a toss during covid times.
Anxiety of settling again
Covid led to a massive job loss for blue-collar workers. They lost work, their employers showed them a bitter back, and disappointedly they returned to their native places. They had to live a life of agony and pain, crying for stability, work, and financial aid. When the curtains of Covid lifted and cases reduced, blue-collar workers again had to move to big cities to find work, settle, and begin from scratch. First, the wrath of losing jobs and then the whip of settling again made things more complicated than ever for the blue-collar workers.
A decrease in productivity due to employees becoming sick
Blue-collar employees are confronted with decreased productivity due to employees becoming sick with Covid 19. It can be because the employees lack knowledge of proper hygiene and health practices. Or, it could be that the workers were not provided with the proper tools for them to be able to perform their jobs properly. Plus, many of them didn’t have the privilege of following Covid guidelines such as social distancing because of the nature of their work.
Management needed to address this issue by providing training on proper personal hygiene and safety measures. They must also have focussed on providing them with the necessary tools, such as PPE kits, for performing their tasks safely during Covid 19. It would have ensured employees’ productivity does not suffer from poor health practices.
An increase in injury rates due to employees working while ill or injured.
The blue-collar workforce during covid 19 encountered an increase in injury rates due to employees working while ill or injured.
The cause of this increase was twofold: first, many workers could not take time off during the pandemic. So, they were forced to work while sick. Second, workers who had no restrictions on their ability to work faced pressure from employers who felt they needed to get as much done as possible while they could. These factors led to sharply increased accidents among blue-collar workers during Covid 19.
The Bottomline
The Covid virus has thrown testing times on blue-collar hirings and workers. Thanks to Covid now returning, blue-collar workers are finally seeing some silver lining, and we hope this trend will likely continue.