IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/intlab/v162y2023i4p615-639.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do unions provide employment protection in times of economic crisis? A natural experiment of COVID‐19

Author

Listed:
  • Woo‐Yung KIM

Abstract

Considering the COVID‐19 pandemic as an exogenous shock, this article attempts to determine whether unions adjusted wages and working hours to protect their members during the economic crisis that it triggered. Based on 2018–20 Korean panel data, the author finds that, during the pandemic, union members were 1.9 times more likely to keep their jobs than non‐union members. However, no significant difference is found between the wage growth in the two sectors, although union members decreased their working hours more than nonunion members. The results therefore suggest that unions provided employment protection during this period by reducing working hours, not wages.

Suggested Citation

  • Woo‐Yung KIM, 2023. "Do unions provide employment protection in times of economic crisis? A natural experiment of COVID‐19," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 162(4), pages 615-639, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:intlab:v:162:y:2023:i:4:p:615-639
    DOI: 10.1111/ilr.12385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12385
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ilr.12385?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adams-Prassl, Abi & Boneva, Teodora & Golin, Marta & Rauh, Christopher, 2020. "Inequality in the impact of the coronavirus shock: Evidence from real time surveys," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Bénédicte Apouey & Alexandra Roulet & Isabelle Solal & Mark Stabile, 2020. "Gig Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis in France: Financial Precarity and Mental Well-Being," Working Papers halshs-02932784, HAL.
    3. Gary Chamberlain, 1980. "Analysis of Covariance with Qualitative Data," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(1), pages 225-238.
    4. Albrecht Ritschl & Monique Ebell, 2007. "Real Origins of the Great Depression: Monopoly Power, Unions and the American Business Cycle in the 1920s," 2007 Meeting Papers 712, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    5. Bénédicte H. Apouey & Alexandra Roulet & Isabelle Solal & Mark Stabile, 2020. "Gig Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis in France: Financial Precarity and Mental Well-Being," Post-Print halshs-02973630, HAL.
    6. William K Roche & Paul Teague & Anne Coughlan, 2015. "Employers, trade unions and concession bargaining in the Irish recession," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 36(4), pages 653-676, November.
    7. François Gerard & Clément Imbert & Kate Orkin, 2020. "Social protection response to the COVID-19 crisis: options for developing countries," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 36(Supplemen), pages 281-296.
    8. Clark, Kim B, 1984. "Unionization and Firm Performance: The Impact on Profits, Growth, and Productivity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(5), pages 893-919, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Benjamin Semujanga & Xavier Parent-Rocheleau, 2024. "Time-Based Stress and Procedural Justice: Can Transparency Mitigate the Effects of Algorithmic Compensation in Gig Work?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Annie Irvine & Nikolas Rose, 2024. "How Does Precarious Employment Affect Mental Health? A Scoping Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence from Western Economies," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(2), pages 418-441, April.
    3. Lotta K. Harju & Joonas Rokka & Maíra Magalhães Lopes & Massimo Airoldi & Karine Raïes, 2021. "Employee Well-Being Profiles During Covid-19 Lockdown : A Latent Profile Analysis of French and UK employees," Post-Print hal-04376054, HAL.
    4. Bénédicte Apouey & Mark Stabile, 2022. "The effects of Uber diffusion on the mental health of drivers," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(7), pages 1468-1490, July.
    5. Stephan Dietrich & Valerio Giuffrida & Bruno Martorano & Georg Schmerzeck, 2022. "COVID‐19 policy responses, mobility, and food prices," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(2), pages 569-588, March.
    6. Eunice S. Han, 2024. "How did the COVID‐19 pandemic affect men's and women's returns to unionization?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 172-204, April.
    7. Adjognon, Guigonan Serge & Bloem, Jeffrey R. & Sanoh, Aly, 2021. "The coronavirus pandemic and food security: Evidence from Mali," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Dimitri Ioannides & Szilvia Gyimóthy & Laura James, 2021. "From Liminal Labor to Decent Work: A Human-Centered Perspective on Sustainable Tourism Employment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    9. Tan, Karen Pei-Sze & Yang, Yang & Li, Xiang (Robert), 2022. "Catching a ride in the peer-to-peer economy: Tourists’ acceptance and use of ridesharing services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 504-518.
    10. Kelle HOWSON & Funda USTEK‐SPILDA & Alessio BERTOLINI & Richard HEEKS & Fabian FERRARI & Srujana KATTA & Matthew COLE & Pablo AGUERA RENESES & Nancy SALEM & David SUTCLIFFE & Shelly STEWARD & Mark GRA, 2022. "Stripping back the mask: Working conditions on digital labour platforms during the COVID‐19 pandemic," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(3), pages 413-440, September.
    11. James Duggan & Michelle O’Sullivan & Maeve O’Sullivan, 2023. "Essential or excluded? Union pressures and state responses to platform work in three liberal market economies," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(4), pages 491-505, November.
    12. Bassier, Ihsaan & Budlender, Joshua & Zizzamia, Rocco & Leibbrandt, Murray & Ranchhod, Vimal, 2021. "Locked down and locked out: Repurposing social assistance as emergency relief to informal workers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    13. Louis Delamarre & Salma Tannous & Ines Lakbar & Sébastien Couarraze & Bruno Pereira & Marc Leone & Fouad Marhar & Julien S. Baker & Reza Bagheri & Mickael Berton & Hana Rabbouch & Marek Zak & Tomasz S, 2022. "The Evolution of Effort-Reward Imbalance in Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in France—An Observational Study in More than 8000 Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, July.
    14. Nurul Iman Abdul Jalil & Soon Aun Tan & Nur Shakila Ibharim & Anisah Zainab Musa & Siew Hui Ang & Wustari L. Mangundjaya, 2023. "The Relationship between Job Insecurity and Psychological Well-Being among Malaysian Precarious Workers: Work–Life Balance as a Mediator," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, February.
    15. Yuxun Peng & Yuqing Shao & Ziyun Li & Ruian Cai & Xiaochen Bo & Chen Qian & Qiao Chu & Jiang Chen & Jianwei Shi, 2022. "Status and Determinants of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression among Food Delivery Drivers in Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    16. Ariel Pakes & Jack Porter, 2024. "Moment inequalities for multinomial choice with fixed effects," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, January.
    17. Laisney, François & Pohlmeier, Winfried & Staat, Matthias, 1991. "Estimation of labour supply functions using panel data: a survey," ZEW Discussion Papers 91-05, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    18. Wang, Hui & Riedinger, Jeffrey & Jin, Songqing, 2015. "Land documents, tenure security and land rental development: Panel evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 220-235.
    19. Nguimkeu, Pierre & Zeufack, Albert, 2024. "Manufacturing in structural change in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    20. Foliano, Francesca & Tonei, Valentina & Sevilla, Almudena, 2024. "Social restrictions, leisure and well-being," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:intlab:v:162:y:2023:i:4:p:615-639. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ilounch.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.