Occupation and Working Outcomes During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

Using data from the recent SHARE COVID-19 survey and additional information collected in the previous waves of SHARE, we explore the effects of occupation's characteristics on two outcomes: (i) the probability of work interruptions during the pandemic, coupled with the length of such interruptions and (ii) the probability of switching to homeworking during the lockdown. In order to assess how job features affected the likelihood of having experienced work interruptions or shifted to teleworking, we define six occupation categories by classifying the ISCO job titles according to two criteria: the safety level of the occupation and the essential (unessential) nature of the good or service provided. We find that characteristics of the occupation are major determinants of the probability of experiencing work interruptions and determine the length of such interruptions. Working from home also largely depends on the features of the job, even controlling for many other covariates at the individual level. In addition, we show that labour market outcomes of women, self-employed and less educated workers are negatively affected by the pandemic to a much larger extent than men.

Ageing workers’ mental health during COVID-19: a multilevel observational study on the association with the work environment, perceived workplace safety and individual factors

“…Our study corroborates that financial concerns are associated with mental health declines of ageing workers, as demonstrated among working, non-working and retired elderly population during the pandemic, and the general population during the pandemic 17 19 22. In addition, the lower technological skills of many ageing workers may hinder teleworking as a control measure, resulting with their prolonged work interruption during the pandemic and its related financial consequences, as Brugiavini et al demonstrated using SHARE 49…”

“…17 19 22 In addition, the lower technological skills of many ageing workers may hinder teleworking as a control measure, resulting with their prolonged work interruption during the pandemic and its related financial consequences, as Brugiavini et al demonstrated using SHARE. 49 sociodemographic inequalities Differentiated occupational infection risk, which we demonstrated to affect mental health, cannot be isolated from sociodemographic inequalities that characterise workers in different industries, for example, gender. 50 Being a woman almost doubled the odds of worsening mental health in our study.…”

“… 17 19 22 In addition, the lower technological skills of many ageing workers may hinder teleworking as a control measure, resulting with their prolonged work interruption during the pandemic and its related financial consequences, as Brugiavini et al demonstrated using SHARE. 49 …”

The Role of Employment Protection Legislation Regimes in Shaping the Impact of Job Disruption on Older Workers’ Mental Health in Times of COVID-19

“…15 Moreover, job disruption appears not to have a significant effect on reporting worsened symptoms of psychological distress also in the group of countries characterized by a lower level of employment protection (EPL cluster=1 in Table 5). weeks, equal to the median value of the variable and excluding from the sample workers who experienced job disruption for 8 weeks or less (9.3 % of the full sample) (see also Brugiavini et al 2021). Then, the propensity score was computed through a Probit model for those who experienced more than 8 weeks of job disruption, using the same specification as described in Section 3.…”