Amherst Market Commentary – March 2020 – Coronavirus: Don’t Forget America’s 43.8 Million Renters

The economic shock of temporary business closures designed to stop the spread will likely outrank all major crises in terms of potential unemployment spike and how quickly it will come. In the short run, leisure, hospitality, and transportation industries workers are expected to be affected the most as evidenced by the record spike of more than 3 million (“mn”) unemployment filings. Manufacturing, construction and retail trade employees are likely to be vulnerable too.