#31 These types of workers were most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Photo: World Bank Authors: Michael Weber and David Newhouse There is now clear evidence that the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were distributed unequally among workers in many developed countries.   We recently explored how the crisis has affected different types of workers and find substantial differences. Drawing on phone survey data from about 40 developing…

#27 Why did some countries’ workforces fare better than others in the early pandemic?

Photo: World Bank Authors: Johanne Buba, Hannah Uckat, Leonardo Iacovone, Denis Medvedev The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the global economy, with world output falling by 3.5 percent year-on-year in 2020. Despite these large output losses, surveys from more than 60 countries conducted by the World Bank and partners between April and December 2020…

covid refugees

#23 How digital solutions can ease the COVID-19 impact on displaced populations

Photo:  Li Wenyong / World Bank   Authors: Jana Kuhnt and Kirsten Schuettler Displaced people face many challenges when integrating into the labor market in their host communities. They are also more likely than the host population to be employed in sectors that are highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as manufacturing, accommodation, and food services. And  …

#22 Gender and Tech Gaps: How Ethiopian Businesses Fare Under COVID-19

Photo credit: World Bank / Ousmane Traore   Authors: Girum Abebe and Christina Wieser To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affects businesses in Ethiopia, the World Bank, in collaboration with the Job Creation Commission (JCC), has implemented a high-frequency phone survey of firms in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Using results from the phone…

Phone Surveys Confirm the Widespread Effects of COVID-19 on Jobs in Developing Countries

Photo credit: Victor Idrogo / World Bank   Authors: David Newhouse and Michael Weber The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on economies and workers worldwide — but the impacts are difficult to quantify, because the pandemic has made traditional face-to-face data collection impossible in most places. The World Bank projects that These projections, however, are…

#19 In Turkey, One in Four Could Lose Their Jobs Due to COVID-19

Photo: Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank   Authors: Sırma Demir Şeker, Efşan Nas Özen, and Ayşenur Acar Erdoğan COVID-19 has brought existing economic vulnerabilities into view globally. Turkey is no exception as the Turkish labor market already has significant challenges: exchange rate depreciation and inflation, low female labor force participation, high youth unemployment, and…