Coronavirus will hurt us all. But it will be worst for those who have the least

The rift between the experience of Americans able to work from home and those in the service sector, now out of work, underscores how dramatically the crisis is separating the haves in the U.S. economy from those who don’t have much. When a crisis strikes, it’s the latter who bear the brunt of the damage. That’s going to play out this time with particular ferocity in the United States for several reasons. One is that since the last recession we’ve become increasingly dependent on low-income jobs with poor benefits and fragile guarantees of continued employment. For many salaried, white-collar employees, the coronavirus crisis will be burdensome, scary, even painful, but financially survivable. Most have the security of a home with all the services they need to remain productive while telecommuting, assuming their employer allows it--and they don’t fall ill themselves. Their 401(k) plans are taking a hit, but the lights are on, the larder is stocked, the internet is working. The next mortgage and credit card payments are scheduled. They will have received emails from the banks and retailers they patronize, assuring them that the firms stand ready to serve them online if they can’t shop in person for whatever reason. Working-class Americans have less access to child care, healthcare and digital services such as internet connectivity that middle- and upper-income workers have come to take for granted. As a result, even if they have jobs that could be performed from home during the American lockdown, they don’t have the resources to get the work done. They can’t rely on the internet.