Task Content and Job Losses in the Great Lockdown

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4573340
AutoresFilippos Petroulakis (0000-0003-1077-482X, Filippos Petroulakis is a Research Economist in the Economic Analysis and Research Department at the Bank of Greece, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen76
Número3
Páginas586-613
Fecha de publicación2023-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaIndustrial and Labor Relations Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0019-7939 • E-ISSN: 2162-271X
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00197939231161616
OpenAlexW3094699672
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas20

The author examines the short-term labor market effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (aka the Great Lockdown recession) in the United States. Findings show that the task content is an important predictor of job losses; jobs with a high non-routine cognitive content are especially well-protected, even if they are not teleworkable. Teleworkability matters more for low-paying jobs. The importance of task content, particularly for non-routine cognitive tasks, is strong even after controlling for demographics and for differential sector and location shocks, while effects persist in the medium run. Jobs subject to higher structural turnover rates were much more likely to be terminated, suggesting that easier-to-replace employees were at a particular disadvantage, even within sectors. At the same time, labor hoarding may occur for more valuable matches. Individuals in low-skilled jobs fared comparatively better in industries with a high share of high-skilled workers, suggesting complementarities across skill types

Business · Cognition · Demographic economics · Distress · Economics · Hoarding (animal behavior) · Labour economics · Recession · Task (project management) · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Psychology