European Labor Markets and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fallout and the Path Ahead

by Sakai Ando, Ravi Balakrishnan, Bertrand Gruss, Jean-Jacques Hallaert, La-Bhus Fah Jirasavetakul, Koralai Kirabaeva, Nir Klein, Ana Lariau, Lucy Qian Liu, and Davide Malacrino

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by far the largest shock to European economies since World War II. Yet, astonishingly, the EU unemployment rate had already declined to its pre-crisis level by 2021Q3, and in some countries the labor force participation rate is at a record high. This paper documents that the widespread use of job retention schemes has played an essential role in mitigating the pandemic's impact on labor markets and thereby facilitating the restart of European economies after the initial lockdowns.

• ISBN13: 9798400200960
• Publish Date: 30 June 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 96
• Language: English