The CFO's latest economic review is out & it clearly shows how uneven this pandemic has hit DC workers & working families. That should guide how we respond and where we put our priority in recovery. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers below.

Since Feb., DC has lost 53,700 jobs. But CFOs report notes high wage sectors actually gained more than 5,000 new jobs, a 1.5%. But… 2/3rds of the job losses (36,000 jobs) were lower wage jobs. Those are the folks least able to weather the pandemic & likely were from the start.

Now here’s the wage breakdown between those two groups:
Average annual wage for sector with biggest job gains: $110,300
Average annual wage for sector with biggest job losses: $43,400
The job lost earns 2.5 times less where we see job gains, i.e., they're already on the edge.

In July, I proposed the Council ask a modest $45/month increase for a DC resident that earns $500,000/year (and high earners weathering this storm the best) to help those hit hardest recover. Unfortunately, it narrowly failed. But we must try again & I will.

Gaining higher wage jobs in the District isn't bad. It builds a larger tax base & can be an important part of DC’s economic recovery. But the gross inequity of seeing those gains, contrasted against who is losing jobs in the pandemic, is where we must be compelled to act.