Freakonomics Radio 420. Which Jobs Will Come Back, and When?
Jun 4, 2020
Jennifer Doliak, an economics professor and director of the Justice Tech Lab, teams up with Darren Asimoglu, an MIT economist, to examine the job market fallout from COVID-19. They discuss which sectors will bounce back, the barriers former inmates face in re-employment, and the unintended consequences of initiatives like 'Ban the Box.' As automation accelerates, they explore the risk of permanent job loss and consider universal basic income as a potential safety net for displaced workers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
The Great Labor Reallocation
- COVID-19 is causing historic job market disruption, leading to a great labor reallocation.
- Economists, a former presidential candidate, and research on prisoner re-employment offer insights.
Origin of Doliak's Research
- Jennifer Doliak's interest in crime economics started with a New York Times article about DNA databases and their impact on recidivism.
- Her research showed that adding DNA to databases significantly reduced repeat offenses.
Data Challenges in Studying Ex-Prisoner Employment
- A stable life after prison depends on getting a job, but data on ex-prisoners is limited because surveys don't ask about criminal records.
- This makes studying the impact of criminal records on employment challenging.