This research brief from the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education examines the physical proximity of workers to others in California's workplaces, with a focus on occupational estimates and demographic and job characteristics. The brief highlights the challenges posed by the workplace as a site of infection transmission and the exacerbation of health and labor market inequalities for communities of color. The authors emphasize the need for policymakers to understand the range of jobs at risk of infection and to establish and enforce robust workplace safety regulations. The brief also notes that employment in high-risk jobs is a contributing factor to race-based differences in infection rates.
