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The dynamics of formal employment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda

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  • Kyle McNabb
  • Tina Kaidu Barugahara
  • Susan Kavuma

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on formal sector employment in Uganda. Utilizing employee-level administrative tax data from the Uganda Revenue Authority, we describe the dynamics of employment as the pandemic evolved, seeking to better understand the various coping strategies undertaken by firms in the face of reduced sales and business activity. We find that over one in ten formally employed workers fully lost their incomes in the immediate aftermath of the onset of the pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyle McNabb & Tina Kaidu Barugahara & Susan Kavuma, 2023. "The dynamics of formal employment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-150, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2023-150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Robert W. Fairlie, 2020. "The Impact of Covid-19 on Small Business Owners: The First Three Months after Social-Distancing Restrictions," CESifo Working Paper Series 8581, CESifo.
    3. Kugler, Maurice & Viollaz, Mariana & Duque, Daniel & Gaddis, Isis & Newhouse, David & Palacios-Lopez, Amparo & Weber, Michael, 2023. "How did the COVID-19 crisis affect different types of workers in the developing world?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    4. Alexander W. Bartik & Marianne Bertrand & Zoë B. Cullen & Edward L. Glaeser & Michael Luca & Christopher T. Stanton, 2020. "How Are Small Businesses Adjusting to COVID-19? Early Evidence from a Survey," NBER Working Papers 26989, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Robert Fairlie, 2020. "The impact of COVID‐19 on small business owners: Evidence from the first three months after widespread social‐distancing restrictions," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 727-740, October.
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