Public Sector Employee Views on Finances and Employment Outlook Due to COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. Since then, the United States and countries throughout the world have seen cases of COVID-19 soar. As of June 15, 2020, nearly 8 million cases and 435,000 deaths have been recorded around the world, with the United States accounting for more than 2 million cases and 115,000 deaths. During this time, the crucial role that state and local government workers play in everyday activities has been more visible than usual. From emergency medical technicians and nurses to teachers, public safety personnel, and public health professionals, the more than 19 million state and local government workers have been integral to keeping the country running.

This report assesses state and local government employees’ views on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on their finances, job, debt profile, and related issues. It presents the results of an online survey of 1,008 state and local government employees conducted by State and Local Government Excellence and Greenwald & Associates May 4-20, 2020.