Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) and ILO Webinar

Taking stock of the COVID-19 crisis: the impact on the labour market and how countries have responded

The Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) jointly organized a webinar on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the labour market and how countries have responded.



Over 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic evolved into a severe economic and labour market crisis, with devastating impacts in countries around the world, as lockdown and other containment measures were implemented to control the spread of the pandemic. Reflecting heterogeneous effects on the labour market, women and youth, along with those in the informal economy, have been hit harder. In response, governments have taken often-unprecedented measures through stimulus packages and other policies to support businesses and workers. However, reflecting financing and other constraints, there are disparities in policy responses between advanced and development economies, which threatens to create diverging employment recovery trends.

Against this backdrop, the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized this webinar with the aim of sharing insights on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the labour market over 2020-21 and highlighting how governments have responded through various economic and employment policies. In light of these findings, the webinar also underscored the key issues that stand at the centre of recovery efforts and the policy and research areas that need to be addressed over the coming months and years.

The webinar took place on Friday, 28 May 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Central European Summer Time, UTC/GMT +2 hours).

Links to the presentations are provided below.

Agenda

  • 10:00 – 10:15   Opening
- Welcome by Sangheon Lee, Director, Employment Policy Department, ILO and Hilmar Schneider, CEO, IZA
 
  • 10:15 – 11:15   Session 1: The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on labour markets around the world
Chair: Ulf Rinne, IZA

- Global impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Sher Verick, Employment Policy Department, ILO and IZA and Dorothea Schmidt-Klau, Employment Policy Department, ILO

- The case of Portugal, Priscila Ferreira, University of Minho, Portugal (and IZA Country Response Monitoring)

- The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on developing countries, Aurelio Parisotto, Employment Policy Department, ILO
 
Q&A

  • 11:15 – 12:15   Session 2: Policy responses and measures needed for a job-rich and inclusive recovery
Chair: Sukti Dasgupta, Employment Policy Department, ILO

Job retention schemes – the successes (and failures) of short-time work schemes, Werner Eichhorst, IZA

- Youth labour markets and COVID-19 policy responses: Gaps and challenges on the road to recovery, Niall O'Higgins, Employment Policy Department, ILO and IZA

Back from the Closet: Macroeconomic policy after the Crisis, Francesco Saraceno, OFCE-Sciences Po

Q&A

  • 12:15 – 12:30   Closing
- Closing remarks by Hilmar Schneider, IZA and Sangheon Lee, ILO