How Coronavirus Will Hurt those Attempting to Enter the Workforce

It's hard to know how the coronavirus pandemic will permanently alter the fabric of society. So far, 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the last month of social distancing. This week, Politics with Amy Walter looks at the impact the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 will have on a generation that was just starting to find their footing. 

Hannes Schwandt, Assistant Professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, shares how cohorts unlucky enough to join the workforce during a recession see a loss in lifetime earnings in addition to other less desirable life outcomes. 

Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic, describes how disasters like pandemics alter the worldview of those transitioning into adulthood. The economic fallout from the Great Recession made it difficult for millennials to start stable careers causing them to protest the institutions and policies that contributed to their struggle. The current economic downturn has the potential to do the same for Generation C. 

Judah Lewis was finishing the second semester of his senior year at Howard University when COVID-19 caused the school to close and classes to move online. The path to his last semester was not an easy one and now he feels like the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. Lewis talks to us about how the pandemic has jeopardized his post-graduation prospects and his job with Teach for America. 

Heather Long, an economics reporter at The Washington Post, shares an update on who is left out when it comes to the $1,200 government stimulus checks meant to soften the blow from the economic downturn.

As part of our continuing look at how mayors across the country are tackling this pandemic, Mayor Linda Gorton of Lexington, Kentucky describes the measures she's taken to fight COVID-19.

Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Check out our local leader series here.