This paper constructs a method to measure firm-level exposure to epidemic diseases by counting the number of times the disease is mentioned in the quarterly earnings conference call that public-listed firms host with financial analysts. The authors gathered data on the transcripts of these conference calls from January 2001 to March 2020 for 11,943 firms…Read More

The fall in employment resulting from social distancing measures in response to COVID-19 has largely affected sectors with high female employment. Further, based on the existing distribution of childcare duties, the challenges created by school and daycare closures have affected the employment of mothers to a greater extent than fathers. Since past labour market experience…Read More

To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses in the US, 5,819 surveys were conducted with members of “Alignable,” a network-based platform focused on the small business ecosystem. On average, businesses reported reducing their employee count by 40% compared to the beginning of 2020. In addition, of those firms surveyed, 43% had to…Read More

Developed countries are now aggressively deploying fiscal and monetary policies to prevent a global economic catastrophe caused by the coronavirus. However, the authors suggest avoiding policies that would encourage a major, persistent reallocation of employment, which could result in the sudden destruction of firm-specific human capital and its customer base. Instead, policies should facilitate quick…Read More

In the UK, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a temporary but radical shift in economic activities, causing sharp declines in labour market demand in some sectors, while simultaneously creating shortages in others. The article suggests that the UK government should implement measures designed to temporarily reallocate laid-off workers to sectors with labour shortages. Additionally, the…Read More

As virus-related recession fears escalate, the authors discuss the potential increase and acceleration in automation that could stem from COVID-19 despite the higher unemployment in the US. The authors argue that labour becomes relatively more expensive in the wake of significant declines in firm revenue. The increased incidence of labour-replacing automation, they say, could leave certain workers…Read More

This report quantifies occupational risk in the United Kingdom for 273 occupations based on workplace exposure to illness and physical proximity to people. A similar exercise is available in the New York Times for occupations in the United States. Each occupation is scored on two indices — exposure and physical proximity — that are combined…Read More

The COVID-19 virus will impact the world of work in terms of quantity of jobs, quality of work, and effects on vulnerable workers in the labour market. The ILO estimates a significant rise in unemployment and underemployment based on GDP growth in the wake of the virus. A decrease in wages and working hours and…Read More