Which workers bear the burden of social distancing policies? NBER Working Paper 27085. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Using two indicators created from US Occupational Information Network — O*NET — data, the authors of this report look at workers in occupations whose possibility of working remotely is unlikely or who have a high degree of physical proximity in the workplace. These workers tend, on average, to be less educated, to earn lower incomes,…Read More
Reshoring supply chains: A practical policy agenda. American Affairs, 4(2).
In the United States, the COVID-19 crisis has revealed the fact that most essential health care supplies, such as face masks and ventilators, are produced abroad. This article calls for policy that examines the larger economic issues surrounding offshoring and finding ways to bring back more production into the United States. The authors argue that…Read More
The impacts of COVID-19 on minority unemployment: First evidence from April 2020 CPS microdata. NBER Working Paper 27246. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Using CPS (Current Population Survey) microdata and a difference-in-difference model, the authors investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on minority unemployment in the US. The overall unemployment rate was 14.7% in the period studied. Estimates show an increase in African American unemployment to 16.6%, which is less than anticipated based on previous recessions. The unemployment rate…Read More
COVID-19 doesn’t need lockdowns to destroy jobs: The effect of local outbreaks in Korea. NBER Working Paper 27264. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Using a difference-in-difference model, the authors estimate the causal effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the labour market. They do so by looking at countries that implemented a severe lockdown and countries, such as Korea, that did not. Their estimates imply that a one per thousand increase in infections caused a 2–3% drop in local employment…Read More
COVID-19 is also a reallocation shock. Working Paper No. 2020-59. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute.
The authors draw on firm-level employment forecasts from the Survey of Business Uncertainty to estimate that 42% of recent layoffs in the US will result in permanent job loss. They anticipate a drawn-out economic recovery from the COVID-19 shock, even if the pandemic is largely controlled within a few months. The authors also suggest that…Read More
Environics Institute for Survey Research, Future Skills Centre, Ted Rogers School of Management, & Diversity Institute. (2020, May). Canadian’s shifting outlook on employment: 2020 survey on employment and skills, preliminary report. Toronto, ON: Environics Institute for Survey Research.
This multi-partner study found that Canadians did not lose confidence in themselves or in society’s safety despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid the pandemic, 54% reported that they felt they could bounce back quickly after these hard times. Individuals with higher levels of education and income reported higher levels confidence. Workers in less…Read More
Corporate hiring under COVID-19: Labor market concentration, downskilling, and income inequality. NBER Working Paper 27208. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on job postings. Using data from LinkUp, a provider of job market data and analytics in US, the authors find that firms have reduced job postings for high-skill jobs more than for low-skill jobs. Scaling back on hiring, especially high-skill hiring (called downskilling), is more severe in low-income…Read More
The adverse effect of the COVID-19 labor market shock on immigrant employment. NBER Working Paper 27243. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Using CPS (Current Population Survey) microdata, the authors of this paper looked for differences in the COVID-19 labour market shock for immigrant males versus US-born males. They found that pandemic-related job losses reversed which group was more likely to be employed. Historically, immigrant males were more likely than US-born males to be employed. Overall, immigrant…Read More
The short-term economic consequences of COVID-19: Occupation tasks and mental health in Canada. IZA DP No. 13254. Bonn, Germany: IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
The authors investigate the negative impact of the pandemic on unemployment, labour force participation, hours and wages in Canada. The largest effects observed were for younger, unmarried, less-educated workers. Results also suggest that the impact of the pandemic was significantly worse for those more exposed to the disease or working in proximity to coworkers. The…Read More
ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work, 3rd ed. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Organization.
This third edition of the ILO Monitor updates estimates and analysis on the effects of COVID-19 on the world of work. Key messages include that the proportion of workers living in countries with recommended or required workplace closures has decreased from 81% to 68% over the last two weeks. This is mainly driven by lifting…Read More