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Drivers of Working Hours and Household Income Dynamics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Zimpelmann
  • Hans-Martin von Gaudecker
  • Radost Holler
  • Lena Janys
  • Bettina Siflinger

    (Department of Economics, University of Bonn, Adenauerallee 24-42, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

Abstract

Using customized panel data spanning the entire year of 2020, we analyze the dynamics of working hours and household income across different stages of the CoVid-19 pandemic. Similar to many other countries, during this period the Netherlands experienced a quick spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, adopted a set of fairly strict social distancing measures, gradually reopened, and imposed another lockdown to contain the second wave. We show that socio-economic status is strongly related to changes in working hours, especially when strict economic restrictions are in place. In contrast, household income is equally unaffected for all socio-economic groups. Examining the drivers of these observations, we find that pandemic-specific job characteristics (the ability to work from home and essential worker status) explain most of the socio-economic gradient in total working hours. Furthermore, household income is largely decoupled from shocks to working hours for employees. We provide suggestive evidence that large-scale labor hoarding schemes have helped insure employees against demand shocks to their employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Zimpelmann & Hans-Martin von Gaudecker & Radost Holler & Lena Janys & Bettina Siflinger, 2021. "Drivers of Working Hours and Household Income Dynamics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Netherlands," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 093, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:093
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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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    4. Luigi Guiso & Luigi Pistaferri & Fabiano Schivardi, 2005. "Insurance within the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(5), pages 1054-1087, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Barbour, Natalia & Abdel-Aty, Mohamed & Sevim, Alican, 2024. "Intended work from home frequency after the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of socio-demographic, psychological, disability, and work-related factors," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Hans-Martin von Gaudecker & Radost Holler & Lenard Simon & Christian Zimpelmann, 2024. "Can Work from Home Help Balance the Parental Division of Labor?," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 321, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    3. MORIKAWA Masayuki, 2022. "Productivity Dynamics of Work from Home since the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a panel of firm surveys," Discussion papers 22061, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    inequality; labor market; working from home; coronavirus; essential workers; mitigation policies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods

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