The labour market and poverty impacts of Covid-19 in South Africa

Type Journal Article - South African Journal of Economics
Title The labour market and poverty impacts of Covid-19 in South Africa
Author(s)
Volume n/a
Issue n/a
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2023
Page numbers 1-27
URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/saje.12356
Abstract
We estimate COVID-19-related employment and poverty impacts in South Africa. We observe a 40 percent decline in active employment between February and April 2020, half of which was composed of job terminations rather than furloughs. Initially, vulnerable groups were disproportionately affected by the labour market shock. Exploiting the dataset's panel dimension and comparing lockdown incomes of job losers to reweighted job retainers, we estimate that approximately 15 - 35 percent of job losers fell into poverty in April. We find evidence of a limited recovery in the labour market and a decrease in poverty by June, in part attributable to expanded emergency social assistance.

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