When New York State closed all non-essential workplaces, Chris Fitts, like millions of others, was forced to work from home. Unlike most others, his job seems tailor-made for a socially distant world.
Fitts, a telemarketer, sells subscriptions and raises funds for the Metropolitan Opera. The opera has been shut down. His work isn’t.
Phone work, a job that can be done remotely and has a low barrier to entry, could help those already on the economic bubble make ends meet during a recession.
There were over three million customer-service representatives and telemarketers employed in the U.S. last year. Most of their positions require little formal training, making it an accessible job for those with less education. It is also a popular part-time position for artists, freelancers and semi-retired professionals—the very people disproportionately affected by this economic collapse.
Most recessions lead to a spike in part time employment and, sure enough, the part time employment rate more than doubled in April.
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