Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/263300 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
ISER Discussion Paper No. 1163
Publisher: 
Osaka University, Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), Osaka
Abstract: 
Following the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy may be significantly changed relative to the pre-pandemic world. One critical shift induced by the COVID- 19 pandemic is a need for physical distance (at least 6 feet apart) between workers and customers. In this study, we examine the impacts of social distancing in the workplace on employment and productivity across industries. Using our constructed measure of adaptability to social distancing, we empirically find that industries that are more adaptive to social distancing had less decline in employment and productivity during the pandemic. Using this empirical evidence, our model predicts that employment and productivity dispersion would induce labor reallocation across sectors, while imperfect labor mobility may result in a long road to economic recovery.
Subjects: 
COVID-19
social distancing
productivity
labor reallocation
economicrecovery
JEL: 
E24
E27
J24
J64
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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