The Heat: COVID19-U.S. Economy & Mexico battles coronavirus

The Heat

GREENFIELD, CA – APRIL 27: Farm laborers from Fresh Harvest working with an H-2A visa ride the bus after their shift on April 27, 2020 in Greenfield, California. Fresh Harvest is the one of the largest employers of people using the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa for labor, harvesting and staffing in the United States. The company is implementing strict health and safety initiatives for their workers during the coronavirus pandemic and are trying a number of new techniques to enhance safety in the field as well as in work accommodations. Employees have their temperature taken daily and are also asked a series of questions about how they feel. Despite current record unemployment rates in the U.S. due to COVID-19-related layoffs, there have been few applications to do this kind of work despite extensive mandatory advertising by companies such as Fresh Harvest. Brent Stirton/Getty Images/AFP

Unemployment numbers in the United States have surged, as its economy shrinks.

More than 30 million people in the U.S. have filed for unemployment benefits and America’s GDP has contracted by 4.8% for the first quarter.

Meanwhile, across the border, Mexico is also struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, but the number of cases and deaths reported so far is much lower than its neighbor to the north.

To discuss:

  • Anthony Chan was a former chief economist at JPMorgan Chase & Company
  • Nirupama Rao is an Asst. Professor of Business Economics and Policy, Univ. of Michigan
  • Arturo Sarukhan is a former Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. and president of Sarukhan and Associates.

 

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