European Labor Markets and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fallout and the Path Ahead

European Labor Markets and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fallout and the Path Ahead
Author: Mr. Sakai Ando
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2022-03-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

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In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by far the largest shock to European economies since World War II. Yet, astonishingly, the EU unemployment rate had already declined to its pre-crisis level by 2021Q3, and in some countries the labor force participation rate is at a record high. This paper documents that the widespread use of job retention schemes has played an essential role in mitigating the pandemic’s impact on labor markets and thereby facilitating the restart of European economies after the initial lockdowns.

The Short-Term Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Markets, Poverty and Inequality in Brazil

The Short-Term Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Markets, Poverty and Inequality in Brazil
Author: International Monetary Fund
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2021-03-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513571648

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We document the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Brazilian labor market focusing on employment, wages and hours worked using the nationally representative household surveys PNAD-Continua and PNAD COVID. Sectors most susceptible to the shock because they are more contact-intensive and less teleworkable, such as construction, domestic services and hospitality, suffered large job losses and reductions in hours. Given low income workers experienced the largest decline in earnings, extreme poverty and the Gini coefficient based on labor income increased by around 9.2 and 5 percentage points, respectively, due to the immediate shock. The government’s broad based, temporary Emergency Aid transfer program more than offset the labor income losses for the bottom four deciles, however, such that poverty relative to the pre-COVID baseline fell. At a cost of around 4 percent of GDP in 2020 such support is not fiscally sustainable beyond the short-term and ended in late 2020. The challenge will be to avoid a sharp increase in poverty and inequality if the labor market does not pick up sufficiently fast in 2021.

Has COVID-19 Induced Labor Market Mismatch? Evidence from the US and the UK

Has COVID-19 Induced Labor Market Mismatch? Evidence from the US and the UK
Author: Carlo Pizzinelli
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2022-01-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1616359021

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This paper studies whether labor market mismatch played an important role for labor market dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic. We apply the framework of S ̧ahin et al. (2014) to the US and the UK to measure misallocation between job seekers and vacancies across sectors until the third quarter of 2021. We find that mismatch rose sharply at the onset of the pandemic but returned to previous levels within a few quarters. Consequently, the total loss in employment caused by the rise in mismatch was smaller during the COVID-19 pandemic than during the Global Financial Crisis. The results are robust to considering alternative definitions of job seekers and to using a measure of effective job seekers in each sector. Preliminary evidence suggests that increased inactivity among older workers, the so called She-cession (particularly in the US) and shifting worker preferences amid strong labor demand are more prominent explanations for the persistent employment shortfall vis-à-vis pre-COVID levels.

COVID-19 and the Informality-driven Recovery: The Case of Colombia's Labor Market

COVID-19 and the Informality-driven Recovery: The Case of Colombia's Labor Market
Author: Jorge Alvarez
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 29
Release: 2021-09-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513597809

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This paper documents the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on the Colombian labor market using household micro-data. About a quarter of employment was temporarily disrupted at the height of the first pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020. Women, the young, and the less educated were the most affected groups. Since then, a remarkable recovery, led by a rebound in informal employment, has taken place. By adjusting both employment levels and hours faster, the informal sector acted as an important margin of adjustment, particularly in those industries most affected by the first lockdown. The informal sector also appears to have played a role in decreasing the sensitivity of aggregate employment to more recent lockdowns in 2021, as the economy has learned to cope with pandemic restrictions, although the possibility of higher informality rates becoming embedded remains an substantial downside risk for long-term productivity.

An Approach to Predicting Regional Labor Market Effects of Economic Shocks

An Approach to Predicting Regional Labor Market Effects of Economic Shocks
Author: Osborne Jackson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

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The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led state and local governments throughout New England and much of the nation to issue ordinances restricting activity that might otherwise contribute to the spread of the disease. Individuals also freely adjusted their behavior, hoping to reduce the chances of infecting themselves or others. As a result, many employers have experienced substantial reductions in sales revenue, which were expected to generate harmful effects on the labor market. Even though the reversal of mandated policies and voluntary behavior changes are well under way, the initial effects and ongoing public health concerns may extend the time needed for labor market outcomes to improve substantially. This study uses pre-pandemic employment data by occupation and a conceptual framework focused on labor costs to identify the subpopulation most vulnerable to the economic shock and predict layoffs and unemployment in the second quarter of 2020. The analysis allows for the possibility of wage cuts mitigating job losses. Further extensions incorporate indirect effects due to reduced product demand from directly affected workers, as well as offsetting effects of a federal policy response. Predicted second-quarter layoffs and unemployment due to the pandemic vary throughout New England, and such adverse labor market effects tend to be somewhat smaller in the region than in the country as a whole. Additionally, official estimates of unemployment from available second-quarter data fall within the range of predictions, after accounting for plausible measurement error. This approach, which builds on the work of other recent analysis, should be helpful in estimating the regional labor market impact of future economic shocks.

Inequality in the Spanish Labor Market During the COVID-19 Crisis

Inequality in the Spanish Labor Market During the COVID-19 Crisis
Author: Ana Lariau
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 27
Release: 2022-01-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

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We analyze the differential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Spanish labor market across population groups, as well as its implications for income inequality. The main finding is that young, less educated, and low skilled workers, as well as women are the most affected by the COVID-19 shock in terms of job loss rates. The differential impacts were especially acute at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and remain robust after taking into account the heterogeneity of sector characteristics. Given that these vulnerable groups were positioned in the lower end of the income distribution before the crisis, we hypothesize that income inequality likely has increased due to the pandemic. Policies aiming at reducing inequality in the labor market need to go beyond measures that target the hardest-hit sectors and support the vulnerable groups more directly.

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Evolving Impacts on the Labor Market

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Evolving Impacts on the Labor Market
Author: Brad J. Hershbein
Publisher:
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2021
Genre: COVID-19
ISBN:

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In this paper, we shed light on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market, and how they have evolved over most of the year 2020. Relying primarily on microdata from the CPS and state-level data on virus caseloads, mortality, and policy restrictions, we consider a range of employment outcomes—including permanent layoffs, which generate large and lasting costs—and how these outcomes vary across demographic groups, occupations, and industries over time. We also examine how these employment patterns vary across different states, according to the timing and severity of virus caseloads, deaths, and closure measures. We find that the labor market recovery of the summer and early fall stagnated in late fall and early winter. As noted by others, we find low-wage and minority workers are hardest hit initially, but that recoveries have varied, and not always consistently, between Blacks and Hispanics. Statewide business closures and other restrictions on economic activity reduce employment rates concurrently but do not seem to have lingering effects once relaxed. In contrast, virus deaths—but not caseloads—not only depress current employment but produce accumulating harm. We conclude with policy options for states to repair their labor markets.

Will Covid-19 have long-term impacts on the German labor market?

Will Covid-19 have long-term impacts on the German labor market?
Author: Cindy Russmann
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 11
Release: 2020-06-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3346187896

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Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Economics - Macro-economics, general, grade: 1,7, University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart, language: English, abstract: In this essay I discuss and analyze the effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 on the German labor market based on a literature review. Due to the currency of this topic, there is still limited scientific literature and publishes studies. Therefore, I work only with a few selected sources. A year ago, nobody would have thought that we were in such an economic and private situation. Due to the Coronavirus the public life is largely paralyzed, production lines have come to a standstill and air traffic is restricted. At the beginning of the crisis, it was still assumed that the consequences would only affect China and the trade associated with it. But it quickly became clear, however, that the crisis affects the entire global community and that there is no economic counterweight to the countries affected. Unlike previous financial crises, the Corona crisis is spreading both - on supply and demand. Production processes are affected because employees are sick and absent. Suppliers can no longer deliver due to transport restrictions. As a result of closures in the service sector, there is neither sales nor income. In addition, the entire consumption worldwide collapsed, since the closures of retail or catering businesses simply eliminate the opportunities for this. This is an exceptional situation for any country, and we must try to deal with it properly. What are the economic consequences of such a lockdown and to what extent is it acceptable? How long will these impacts be felt and how quickly can a society recover from it?