COVID-19 unemployment has hit young workers hard. Here’s how one New Orleans college student is faring.
Dominick Rosse, a University of New Orleans student, was working on paying his way through college when the pandemic hit and he lost his job as a line cook.
By Erron Thomas
Dominick Rosse was working as a line cook at Wakin’ Bakin’, a small breakfast spot in Mid-City, before losing his job in March following coronavirus business closures in New Orleans. Rosse recalled the slow sinking feeling as the prospect of weeks without pay hit home, and he and other staff worked their final shifts.
Rosse, a full-time student at the University of New Orleans who is paying his own way through school, said the restaurant’s owner was open and honest about the circumstances. He told Rosse and others he couldn’t afford to pay staff with the restaurant closed.
“It was sort of a slow phase down,” Rosse said.
Rosse has been able to get by on unemployment and side gigs in the three months since. He hopes to get back to the Wakin’ Bakin’ kitchen soon. However, he’s worried about the long-term economic impact the virus will have on young people like him.
Rosse, 26, noted young people were grappling with major challenges pre-coronavirus, from severe racial and socioeconomic inequity to climate change. What happens now?
“This is just another thing for me to worry about,” Rosse said. “I’m very nostalgic for the days when I only had one impending global collapse to think about.”
7.5 million young Americans unemployed
More than 30 million American workers have filed for unemployment benefits in the roughly six weeks since the nationwide coronavirus outbreak. That includes 3.8 million American workers who filed during the third week of April alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. unemployment rate improved in May, but experts warn the road to full economic recovery could be long.
Young workers like Rosse have been especially hard hit. More than 7.5 million American workers younger than 30 were unemployed as of May. In April, the unemployment rate hit nearly 27% for American workers ages 16–24. That’s the highest it’s been since the government started tracking unemployment statistics in 1948.
The pain is sharpened in New Orleans where The Data Center estimates some 30,000 workers are employed in restaurants, hotels and tourism-driven businesses like casinos and museums forced closed amid coronavirus.
Congress passed the CARES Act in March in response to the covid-19 lockdowns, increasing the dollar amount of weekly unemployment benefits available and broadening who qualifies. The bill provides an extra $600 to unemployed Americans through July 31.
Rosse said he’s especially concerned about the outlook for young people in New Orleans and nationwide. He thinks a lot of young adults will struggle to regain financial stability, especially if businesses remain closed or only partially opened through August.
“A lot of young people work in the service industry, especially in New Orleans. A huge percentage of our economy is service industry based or at least structured around the service industry,” Rosse said. “If those jobs go… I don’t know.”
‘Eventually the stimulus is going to run out’
Rosse was able to pick up a cashier gig at a convenience store in the Irish Channel shortly after losing his kitchen job in March. He also qualifies for unemployment benefits, which means he’s earning more now than he would have as a line cook making $13.50 an hour.
“That’s a very privileged situation to be in,” Rosse said.
He knows that won’t last forever. He worries about bringing in enough cash to cover rent and his bills in the long-term. Rosse shares an apartment in Mid-City with his girlfriend. Making rent is a priority, he said.
Rosse said he’s glad to see New Orleans housing advocates for rules that prevent landlords from evicting tenants who can’t pay rent during the crisis. But what happens weeks or months when people can’t find work weeks (or months) from now?
“Eventually the stimulus is going to run out,” Rosse said.
At work, Rosse said he worries about staying healthy while interacting with customers. Some people wear face masks, he said. But there are plenty of people who don’t.
“I’m in close proximity with people working at a convenience store, so it’s kind of stressful,” Rosse said.
Rosse considers himself lucky by most measures. He has his health and some work. He has access to reliable internet and transportation, and a roof over his head. That’s more than a lot of people, he said.
Rosse hopes to be able to attend graduate school at the University of New Orleans in the fall and get enough work to earn a steady income. He noted looking just a week ahead is difficult right now. Who knows what will happen months from now?
Rosse is bracing for the possibility of another surge in coronavirus infections in Louisiana and nationwide.
“If there is a second wave, I think we’re going to see a stronger economic impact,” Rosse said.
