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COVID-19 and Employment in South Korea: Trends and Comparison with the 2008 Financial Crisis

Author

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  • Nam, Minhyuk

    (Sogang University)

  • Lee, Soohyung

    (Seoul National University)

Abstract

We examine the impact of COVID-19 on employment in South Korea as of June 2020. To estimate the causal effect, we use two complementary methods. First, using individual-level data without residence information, we estimate the effects by controlling for detailed characteristics of individuals. Second, using aggregate data without individual characteristics, we exploit the regional variation in the intensity of COVID-19 to measure the effects. We find that the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the employment rate by 0.82%p and increased the unemployment rate by 0.29%p. These estimated effects are 90%–140% larger than those of the 2008 Financial Crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Nam, Minhyuk & Lee, Soohyung, 2021. "COVID-19 and Employment in South Korea: Trends and Comparison with the 2008 Financial Crisis," IZA Discussion Papers 14101, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp14101
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Coibion, Olivier & Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Weber, Michael, 2020. "Labor Markets During the Covid-19 Crisis: A Preliminary View," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt7rx7t91p, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marjit, Sugata & Das, Gouranga, 2022. "Contact Intensity, Unemployment and Finite Change - The Case of Entertainment Sector under Pandemic: A General Equilibrium Approach," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1200, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Seokjin Woo & Sangmin Aum & Dohyung Kim & Heyjin Moon & Soohyung Lee, 2022. "Consumption Response to Seoul’s COVID-19 Shopping Coupons: Evidence from Consumer Data (Covid-19 Special Issue)," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 38, pages 231-250.
    3. Yugang He, 2022. "Home Production: Does It Matter for the Korean Macroeconomy during the COVID-19 Pandemic?," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Woo, Seokjin & Aum, Sangmin & Kim, Dohyung & Moon, Heyjin & Lee, Soohyung, 2021. "Consumption Response to Seoul's COVID-19 Shopping Coupons: Evidence from Consumer Data," IZA Discussion Papers 14662, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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