THE WORKERS WHO WON IN THE PANDEMIC—AND THOSE WHO LOST

The Covid-19 pandemic and concurrent economic collapse have been remarkable for their uneven impact. The coronavirus has decimated elderly populations while largely sparing children. The U.S. GDP plunged by the sharpest rate ever, while the stock market posted record highs.

Now we have data confirming another way that we’re really not all in this together. A new survey of American adults by The Harris Poll reveals who’s entering 2021 doing better or worse — financially, mentally, physically and existentially — by 13 job sectors. Some notable findings:

• In finance and tech, more than half of employees say they gained financially in 2020
• Those saying they’re entering 2021 in worse health are in consulting, food and hospitality, health care, office support, public services, real estate and transportation. 
• And yet, people in some of the categories brought down by the pandemic have ended up feeling more enriched by their work.