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Panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.

Panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.

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IZA World of Labor Panel discussion on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.: Daniel S. Hamermesh in conversation with Michael C. Burda from Humboldt University, Pierre Cahuc from Sciences Po and Harry J. Holzer from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University

Discussion questions:

- How has the Covid pandemic contributed to the sharp decline in labor-force participation in the developed world? Why are people choosing not to work, or to work less, compared to pre-Covid?
- In Europe the labor force participation rate (the fraction of people working or looking for work) has already risen to pre-pandemic levels whereas in the U.S. it is still about 1.5% (3 million workers below where it was). Why is that?
- If labor is so scarce currently, why aren’t real wages rising more rapidly?
- How has the Covid pandemic contributed to the remarkable acceleration of inflation in the developed world?
- Are you worried about the impact on unemployment of government effort to combat inflation? If so, why? If not, why not? In the last 70 years, at what point was the macro-labor market (or was most like) what it was today?

Read related IZA World of Labor content:

- Covid-19—Pandemics and the labor market
- National responses to Covid-19:

The impact of Covid-19 in Germany: Andreas Peichl in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Germany: Andreas Peichl in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

Andreas Peichl is the leading expert on inequality in Germany as well as a distinguished researcher worldwide. In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh asks how effective the policies have been in mitigating the economic effects of Covid-19 and what policy/ policies has or have been most effective? If firms have been locked down, what do the firms actually do? How has the crisis affected inequality in Germany? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Sweden: Helena Holmlund in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Sweden: Helena Holmlund in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh asks if there is any one policy among the initiatives that the Swedish government has undertaken in the past couple of months that has been particularly effective in reducing the impact of Covid-19 on the economy? How has the crisis affected graduates in Sweden as well as secondary school graduates? How are high schools, colleges and universities in Sweden coping with closures? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Canada: Phil Oreopoulos in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Canada: Phil Oreopoulos in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

Phil Oreopoulos is Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto, Canada. During the Covid-19 crisis, the death rate in Canada has barely reached half of what it has been in the US. In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh asks what has been done by the Canadian government during this crisis. What was the unemployment rate in April in Canada compared to earlier in the year? To what extent has the Covid-19 crisis affected inequality in Canada? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Spain: Juan Dolado in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Spain: Juan Dolado in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh Juan Dolado is the leading Spanish macro-labor expert and the leading expert on labor in Spain. What economic policies has Spain adopted to cope with the Covid-19 crisis? Do short-time payments in Spain cover temporary workers during the economic crisis? Have the deaths due to Covid-19 mostly affected people of working age or non-active members of the labor market in Spain? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Ireland: Alan Barrett in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Ireland: Alan Barrett in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

Dr. Alan Barrett is the Director of the Economic and Social Research Institute in Ireland which is the largest independent research institute in the country. In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh asks what has been the most effective action the government has taken to overcome the economic crisis brought about by Covid-19? How has the crisis in Ireland affected economic inequality? How has the recession affected young people in Ireland? Have women fallen behind because of the unequal distribution of work during the Covid-19 lockdown in Ireland? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Japan: Daiji Kawaguchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Japan: Daiji Kawaguchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

Daiji Kawaguchi is a Professor of Economics at the University of Tokyo. Japan has one of the most impressive records in the world during the Covid-19 crisis: there have been 33 deaths per one million residents in Japan which is 8% of deaths in the US, or 5% of deaths in the UK. How has a country like Japan, which is very urbanized and very old, been so successful at handling the Covid-19 crisis? In response to Covid-19, has Japan done anything in micro-economic terms to keep the economy going and help the unemployed? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in Chile: Diana Kruger in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in Chile: Diana Kruger in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

In this video, IZA World of Labor Editor-in-Chief Daniel S Hamermesh asks what government programmes has Chile implemented during Covid-19? Is there any direct payment from the government to households in Chile, or is this done through unemployment insurance? What has the Covid-19 crisis done so far to the levels of inequality in Chile? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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The impact of Covid-19 in South Africa: Haroon Bhorat in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh

The impact of Covid-19 in South Africa: Haroon Bhorat in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh.

Haroon Bhorat is a Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and one of the leading economists in South Africa. Will some of the economic measures the South African government has taken improve conditions in the long-term, e.g. water services and sanitation? During the Covid-19 crisis, has money been allocated to infrastructure provision to support the unemployed in South Africa? To find out the answers to these questions and more, watch the full video.

Consult our key topic page and opinion pieces for more articles and commentaries on Covid-19, and find out more about the national responses to Covid-19 around the world.

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