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Employment Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic across Metropolitan Status and Size

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  • Cho, Seung Jin
  • Lee, Jun Yeong
  • Winters, John

Abstract

We examine effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment losses across metropolitan area status and population size. Non-metropolitan and metropolitan areas of all sizes experienced significant employment losses, but the impacts are much larger in large metropolitan areas. Employment losses manifest as increased unemployment, labor force withdrawal, and temporary absence from work. We examine the role of individual and local area characteristics in explaining differing employment losses across metropolitan status and size. The local COVID-19 infection rate is a major driver of differences across MSA size. Industry mix and employment density also matter. The pandemic significantly altered urban economic activity.

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  • Cho, Seung Jin & Lee, Jun Yeong & Winters, John, 2020. "Employment Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic across Metropolitan Status and Size," ISU General Staff Papers 202007070700001109, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:isu:genstf:202007070700001109
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    Cited by:

    1. Ahn, Kunwon & Lee, Jun Yeong & Winters, John V., 2020. "Employment Opportunities and High School Completion during the COVID-19 Recession," IZA Discussion Papers 13802, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Elizabeth Knowlton & Goran Skosples & Robert J. Gitter, 2022. "Is anybody home? remote working opportunities and employment during the covid-19 crisis," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 42(2), pages 350-359.
    3. Péter Füleky & István Szapudi, 2022. "Bird’s Eye View of COVID-19, Mobility, and Labor Market Outcomes Across the US," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 339-353, July.
    4. Althoff, Lukas & Eckert, Fabian & Ganapati, Sharat & Walsh, Conor, 2022. "The Geography of Remote Work," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    5. Cochrane, William & Poot, Jacques & Roskruge, Matthew, 2022. "Urban Resilience and Social Security Uptake: New Zealand Evidence from the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic," IZA Discussion Papers 15510, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Johannes Moser & Fabian Wenner & Alain Thierstein, 2022. "Working From Home and Covid-19: Where Could Residents Move to?," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 15-34.
    7. Wolter H. J. Hassink & Guyonne Kalb & Jordy Meekes, 2021. "Regional Coronavirus Hotspots During the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(2), pages 127-140, May.
    8. Fang, Tony & Gunderson, Morley & Ha, Viet Hoang & Ming, Hui, 2025. "The Short-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Labour Market Outcomes of Recent Immigrants to Canada," IZA Discussion Papers 17756, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Festus Victor Bekun & Abdulkareem Alhassan & Ilhan Ozturk & Obadiah Jonathan Gimba, 2022. "Explosivity and Time-Varying Granger Causality: Evidence from the Bubble Contagion Effect of COVID-19-Induced Uncertainty on Manufacturing Job Postings in the United States," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(24), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Balana, Bedru B. & Oyeyemi, Motunrayo & Ogunniyi, Adebayo & Fasoranti, Adetunji & Edeh, Hyacinth & Andam, Kwaw, 2022. "Have households’ livelihoods and food security rebounded from COVID-19 shocks in Nigeria? Results from a follow-up phone survey," 96th Annual Conference, April 4-6, 2022, K U Leuven, Belgium 321205, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    11. Antonio Chirumbolo & Antonino Callea & Flavio Urbini, 2021. "The Effect of Job Insecurity and Life Uncertainty on Everyday Consumptions and Broader Life Projects during COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-20, May.
    12. Nana Aisha Garba & Lea Sacca & Rachel D. Clarke & Prasad Bhoite & John Buschman & Virama Oller & Nancy Napolitano & Samuel Hyppolite & Sophia Lacroix & Al Archibald & Ocean Hamilton & Tobi Ash & David, 2022. "Addressing Food Insecurity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Intervention Outcomes and Lessons Learned from a Collaborative Food Delivery Response in South Florida’s Underserved Households," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-12, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis

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