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HomePublicationsReportEstimated Characteristics and Employment of Essential Workers in California, from May 2020 to June 2021

Estimated Characteristics and Employment of Essential Workers in California, from May 2020 to June 2021

August 26, 2021 - 
Kuochih Huang,Enrique Lopezlira,Annette BernhardtandSarah Thomason

This fact sheet estimates the characteristics and employment numbers of workers in essential industries in California over the period from May 2020 to June 2021. Accurate estimates of essential workers in California are hard to produce for a number of reasons, including significant lags in data collection and reporting, and the instability of the labor market during the last 18 months. We therefore use multiple data sources to produce a range of estimates of the number of workers in California from May 2020 to June 2021 who meet the following three conditions: (1) working in essential industries, (2) not working from home, and (3) working for at least 1,000 hours cumulatively. We refer to workers meeting these three characteristics as active on-site essential workers.

Our method of producing these estimates is as follows. First, we use two worker surveys, the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey (ACS), to identify the proportion of workers in California meeting the above three conditions, by industry. We then apply those proportions to industry employment counts between May 2020 and June 2021, using Current Employment Statistics (CES) data. We then produce a range of final employment estimates.

Table 1 shows estimated characteristics for each industry: the proportion that were essential workers (column 1), the proportion not working from home (column 2), and the proportion working at least 1,000 hours (column 3). We estimate the proportion of essential workers with the monthly CPS, using California’s list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.”[1] We also use the CPS to identify the percent of workers who were working on-site — that is, they were not working from home. We estimate the proportion of workers who worked at least 1,000 hours for all workers using 2019 ACS data. See Appendix for details on these three measures.

Table 2 shows the resulting employment estimates for active on-site essential workers in each industry. We arrive at these estimates by applying the proportions in Table 1 to the employment counts from the CES. We provide high, medium, and low estimates, given the extreme variability in employment during the past 13 months (May 2020 through June 2021). The “high” estimate uses the highest monthly employment count from the CES for each industry during this time span. The “low” estimate uses the lowest monthly count, and the “medium” estimate uses the average monthly employment across the 13 months.

Table 1: Estimated Worker Characteristics by Industry, California

Industry

(1) Essential worker

(2) Working on-site

(3) Work at least 1000 hours in 2019
Total Farm
1
0.95
0.87
Logging
1
1
0.73
Oil and Gas Extraction
1
0.67
0.94
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
non-essential industry
Support Activities for Mining
1
0.94
0.95
Construction
1
0.9
0.93
Wood Product Manufacturing
1
0.94
0.95
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1
0.88
0.95
Primary Metal Manufacturing
0.79
0.99
0.97
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
0.97
0.91
0.94
Machinery Manufacturing
1
0.72
0.96
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
0.17
0.33
0.97
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
0.95
0.65
0.96
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Miscellaneous durable goods manufacturing
0.5
0.72
0.94
Food Manufacturing
1
0.86
0.91
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
1
0.8
0.91
Textile Mills
non-essential industry
Textile Product Mills
non-essential industry
Apparel Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Paper Manufacturing
1
0.96
0.97
Printing and Related Support Activities
non-essential industry
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
1
0.7
0.99
Chemical Manufacturing
1
0.61
0.95
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
1
0.92
0.96
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
0.67
0.67
0.95
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
0.75
0.8
0.92
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers
non-essential industry
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
0.26
0.94
0.91
Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores
non-essential industry
Electronics and Appliance Stores
0.01
0.66
0.91
Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers
0.83
0.92
0.89
Food and Beverage Stores
1
0.95
0.86
Health and Personal Care Stores
0.53
0.77
0.9
Gasoline Stations
1
0.93
0.87
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores
non-essential industry
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores
non-essential industry
General Merchandise Stores
0.85
0.95
0.8
Miscellaneous Store Retailers
0.08
0.84
0.79
Nonstore Retailers
0.04
0.78
0.84
Utilities
1
0.66
0.97
Air Transportation
1
0.93
0.93
Truck Transportation
1
0.95
0.95
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
0.98
0.79
0.89
Support Activities for Transportation
1
0.83
0.92
Couriers and Messengers
1
0.94
0.89
Warehousing and Storage
1
0.96
0.93
Publishing Industries (except Internet)
0.09
0.3
0.92
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries
non-essential industry
Broadcasting (except Internet)
1
0.5
0.94
Telecommunications
1
0.56
0.96
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
1
0.28
0.96
Other Information Services
0.84
0.11
0.91
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities including Monetary Authorities - Central Bank
1
0.42
0.95
Financial Investments and Related Activities including Financial Vehicles
1
0.3
0.94
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
1
0.31
0.95
Real Estate
non-essential industry
Rental and Leasing Services
non-essential industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
0.12
0.34
0.93
Management of Companies and Enterprises
non-essential industry
Administrative and Support Services
0.48
0.83
0.87
Waste Management and Remediation Services
1
0.9
0.95
Education
non-essential industry
Ambulatory Health Care Services
0.98
0.78
0.89
Hospitals
1
0.82
0.94
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1
0.93
0.89
Social Assistance
0.77
0.75
0.83
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries
non-essential industry
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions
non-essential industry
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
non-essential industry
Accommodation
non-essential industry
Food Services and Drinking Places
0.99
0.94
0.79
Repair and Maintenance
0.75
0.96
0.94
Personal and Laundry Services
0.07
0.9
0.84
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations
non-essential industry
Government
0.63
0.64
0.93
Department of Defense
non-essential industry

Source: Authors's analysis of the IPUMS-Current Population Survey (CPS) Monthly Basic data from May 2020 to June 2021, 2019 IPUMS-American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Employment Statistics (CES), and California’s list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” See Appendix for details.



 

Table 2: Estimated Employment of Active On-Site Essential Workers, California

Industry

High

Medium

Low
Total Farm
399,000
348,000
290,100
Logging
1,700
1,400
900
Oil and Gas Extraction
2,800
2,700
2,600
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
non-essential industry
Support Activities for Mining
6,300
6,200
5,800
Construction
747,600
729,100
697,900
Wood Product Manufacturing
23,400
22,700
22,000
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
25,700
25,200
24,800
Primary Metal Manufacturing
11,900
11,700
11,600
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
103,700
101,000
98,500
Machinery Manufacturing
50,900
50,100
48,200
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
12,300
12,000
11,900
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
75,000
73,500
71,900
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Miscellaneous durable goods manufacturing
24,700
23,600
21,600
Food Manufacturing
126,300
118,000
113,500
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
45,200
42,300
38,000
Textile Mills
non-essential industry
Textile Product Mills
non-essential industry
Apparel Manufacturing
non-essential industry
Paper Manufacturing
18,400
17,700
16,900
Printing and Related Support Activities
non-essential industry
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
8,700
8,500
8,300
Chemical Manufacturing
48,700
47,800
46,500
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
36,800
36,400
36,000
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
137,100
134,100
131,100
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
153,800
150,000
145,200
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers
non-essential industry
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
41,600
39,700
36,000
Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores
non-essential industry
Electronics and Appliance Stores
300
200
200
Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers
95,400
90,800
84,700
Food and Beverage Stores
305,200
299,800
294,800
Health and Personal Care Stores
40,400
39,200
35,100
Gasoline Stations
50,000
48,900
47,600
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores
non-essential industry
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores
non-essential industry
General Merchandise Stores
195,800
174,600
148,500
Miscellaneous Store Retailers
4,400
4,200
3,200
Nonstore Retailers
1,900
1,800
1,600
Utilities
38,100
37,900
37,200
Air Transportation
44,900
43,000
41,800
Truck Transportation
132,400
125,200
116,100
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
27,100
23,500
21,900
Support Activities for Transportation
80,400
78,500
74,800
Couriers and Messengers
140,800
115,200
94,800
Warehousing and Storage
192,100
178,400
159,200
Publishing Industries (except Internet)
5,400
5,200
5,100
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries
non-essential industry
Broadcasting (except Internet)
18,800
18,400
18,000
Telecommunications
33,200
32,500
31,700
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
14,900
14,700
14,500
Other Information Services
9,400
8,800
8,400
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities including Monetary Authorities - Central Bank
96,900
95,800
94,500
Financial Investments and Related Activities including Financial Vehicles
27,800
27,400
26,900
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
58,200
57,800
57,000
Real Estate
non-essential industry
Rental and Leasing Services
non-essential industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
64,000
62,300
60,700
Management of Companies and Enterprises
non-essential industry
Administrative and Support Services
401,900
386,500
360,400
Waste Management and Remediation Services
45,400
44,200
43,000
Education
non-essential industry
Ambulatory Health Care Services
599,200
581,400
526,400
Hospitals
311,800
309,800
308,000
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
244,400
240,000
236,800
Social Assistance
386,000
374,400
363,000
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries
non-essential industry
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions
non-essential industry
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
non-essential industry
Accommodation
non-essential industry
Food Services and Drinking Places
887,800
784,800
651,600
Repair and Maintenance
101,200
96,700
91,000
Personal and Laundry Services
7,000
6,000
4,600
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations
non-essential industry
Government
513,900
497,800
489,900
Department of Defense
non-essential industry
Total
7,278,000
6,907,400
6,432,300

Source: Authors's analysis of the IPUMS-Current Population Survey (CPS) Monthly Basic data from May 2020 to June 2021, 2019 IPUMS-American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Eemployment Statistics (CES), and California’s list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” See Appendix for details.



 

Appendix

We identify essential workers in the IPUMS – Current Population Survey basic monthly datasets following California’s list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” We include all occupations in the essential industries. We also use the Current Population Survey (CPS) to identify workers not working from home; the CPS began asking respondents in May 2020 if the worker works remotely due to the pandemic. We then estimate the proportion of workers who are in essential industries and also not working from home over the period May 2020 to June 2021.[2]

We estimate annual number of hours worked using the IPUMS – American Community Survey one-year sample for 2019 (ACS), and use this calculation to estimate the proportion of all workers working at least 1,000 hours across industries.

In analyzing the CPS and the ACS, we restrict our analysis to workers who are 18-64 year-olds, with non-zero working hours in the last week or non-zero earnings in the past year, who were not self-employed or unpaid family workers, and who were at work last week, or had a job but were not at work last week.

Our employment counts come from the Current Employment Statistics (CES), which provides detailed industry estimates of employment of nonfarm workers in California. We append the CES data with total farm sector employment estimates from California’s Employment Development Department, and use this information to calculate high, medium, and low employment in each industry over the period May 2020 to June 2021.

To obtain our estimated employment counts of active on-site essential workers in California, we build a crosswalk to match the CPS/ACS industries with the CES industries. We multiply the high, medium, and low employment in each industry by two estimated proportions: 1) proportion of workers who are in essential industries and also not working from home, and 2) proportion of workers working at least 1000 hours.[3]

Endnotes

[1] Also see Thomason & Bernhardt (2020).

[2] For readers’ reference, in Table 1, we list the proportion of workers in essential industries and the proportion of workers not working from home separately.

[3] By multiplying our employment counts and the combined proportion of onsite essential workers by the proportion of workers working at least 1,000 hours, which comes from the 2019 ACS, we are assuming that this proportion remains the same in the period of interest, and that this proportion is not related to essential industry status or not working from home status.