What shifts did COVID-19 year 2020 bring to the labour market in Europe?

Arbeitspapier

This letter discusses the evolution of key labour market indicators in the EU-27 countries between 2019 and 2020, i.e. between the year before the COVID-19 crisis broke out and the year in which it impacted the economy heavily. Whereas earlier policy-oriented studies have dealt with the evolution of unemployment in 2020, often country by country, this letter focuses on the evolution of unemployment as well as inactivity across European countries. Indeed, previous crises have typically lead not only to more unemployment but also to larger numbers of discouraged unemployed and thus more inactivity. It appears that the Southern European countries, in particular, recorded increases in inactivity, while the Baltic States experienced higher unemployment. In many other countries, unemployment and inactivity remained remarkably stable despite COVID-19.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Policy Paper ; No. 177

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search ; Labor Economics Policies ; Labor Demand ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies: Public Policy
• Subject: unemployment ; inactivity ; employment ; COVID-19 ; iceberg decomposition ; disincentive effect

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Baert, Stijn
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/243463
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET