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COVID-19 Infection and Its Labor Supply Impact: Evidence from a Large-scale Survey in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Asako Chiba

    (Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research)

  • Shunsuke Hori

    (Hitotsubashi University)

  • Taisuke Nakata

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Shusaku Sasaki

    (Osaka University)

  • Reo Takaku

    (Hitotsubashi University)

Abstract

We conducted a large-scale retrospective survey to investigate how COVID-19 infection affected the labor outcomes of infected workers in Japan. Many infected workers—including those without any COVID-19 symptoms—experienced some reductions in hours worked or earnings immediately after infection. The negative labor impacts often lasted for more than a month. The negative labor impacts were particularly pronounced for contract workers, non-regular workers, workers without remote-work availability, and those unvaccinated. Our estimate based on the survey and other official statistics indicates that COVID-19 infection had a non-negligible negative impact on the aggregate labor supply in 2022.

Suggested Citation

  • Asako Chiba & Shunsuke Hori & Taisuke Nakata & Shusaku Sasaki & Reo Takaku, 2025. "COVID-19 Infection and Its Labor Supply Impact: Evidence from a Large-scale Survey in Japan," CARF F-Series CARF-F-596, Center for Advanced Research in Finance, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo.
  • Handle: RePEc:cfi:fseres:cf596
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