Telecommuting has surged due to the lockdown.

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Jacques Witt / SIPA

The Covid has widened the inequalities a little more.

The confinement of the population put in place between March 17 and May 11, 2020 led to the impoverishment of a quarter of households, especially since their standard of living was initially low, according to a survey published by the Insee Wednesday (pdf here).

While the fall in economic activity led to an overall decline in gross household disposable income of 2.6% in the second quarter of 2020, the disparities are strong.

Here is the main graph of the INSEE study on the impact of Covid / confinement, with a quarter of households which became poorer in the spring, and the most precarious were the hardest hit https://t.co / k3PsaLm3dv pic.twitter.com/0nGXtiiqct

- Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) October 14, 2020

"In May 2020, 23% of households declare that their financial situation has deteriorated since the start of confinement", 2% declare that it has improved, while for two thirds, it has remained stable.

"This deterioration is all the stronger as household incomes were initially low", specifies the survey.

Thus, among the poorest 10% of households, 35% perceive a deterioration in their financial situation.

Overall, 42% of households affected by impoverishment declared in May that “their financial situation is fair and that we must be careful” (against 34% for the whole population), 27% that their financial situation is “difficult” ”(Against 11% for the whole population) and 7% that they“ cannot get by without getting into debt ”(2% for the whole population).

Households with children are more affected (33%) than households without children (18%).

Young people particularly affected

Young people have been "much more exposed to the consequences of the fall in economic activity".

Of those in employment before the lockdown, more than a third were not working in May.

By socio-professional categories, artisans and traders were the most directly affected by the drop in activity.

More than half of the self-employed report a deterioration in their financial situation, ahead of workers (37% of households declaring a loss of income).

For the other categories, these proportions are between 25% (for executives and higher intellectual professions, which include liberal professions) and 30% (for farmers).

If technical or partial unemployment - a third of people in employment in May - made it possible to maintain employment for many workers, their remuneration has fallen: without being less than the minimum wage, the minimum guaranteed during confinement corresponded to 84% of the salary net.

The Epidemiology and Living Conditions survey (EpiCov) was set up by Drees, Inserm, Santé Publique France and INSEE in the context of the health crisis.

It took place between May 2 and June 2, 2020 with 135,000 people aged 15 or over, residing outside nursing homes, retirement homes and prisons, in metropolitan France, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion, interviewed mainly on the Internet but also by telephone.

Society

Coronavirus: Badly housed and confined, the double penalty

  • Confinement

  • Economy

  • Coronavirus

  • Wage inequalities