Part-time student workers and the effect of COVID-19

By: Jordan Coll / Asst. News Director

According to the U.S. Private Sector Job Quality Index, 37 million jobs could potentially be lost during the time of this pandemic crisis. From both private and public sector jobs, the U.S. population has felt the shock of the virus.

One of the largest owners of shopping malls in the nation, Simon Property Group has taken precautions and has closed all its malls in order to reduce the spread of the virus. 

Several retail brands have closed from Macy’s, J.C.Penny to Nordstrom and other clothing brands such as Gap, Victoria’s Secret and Sephora, which have announced they will be temporarily closing their locations.

Students who have part-time jobs in retail are faced with the dilemma of whether or not they will come back to work.

“Well now I’m definitely locked in my house since work and school got canceled,” said Linina Roy, a part-time employee at GAP at Miami’s International Mall. She’s majoring in Health Services Administration at FIU.

As students and faculty members practice social distancing at their homes, many are watching the way in which the virus has negatively steered the economy in a downward direction.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an intergovernmental economic entity that helps to stimulate economic progress, has predicted that COD-V19 will lower global GDP growth in both private and public sector jobs.

Retail workers will be getting paid for the 2 weeks the malls are closed, but afterward the companies are dealt with having to figure what comes next for their workers. For college students who live paycheck to paycheck to meet basic tuition costs are placed in a trivial situation. 

“Certainly the world is facing an economic recession towards this pandemic, only time will tell when things will get back to normal,” said Roy.