In this study we review the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian labour market. We focus on changes in employment and aggregate hours worked between February 2020 and April 2020, while accounting for normal monthly changes in these indicators. We find that COVID-19 induced a...

We contrast the canonical epidemiological SIR model due to Kermack and McKendrick (1927) with more tractable alternatives that offer similar degrees of "realism" and exibility. We provide results connecting the different models which can be exploited for calibration purposes. We use the expected...

The Dutch economy was more resilient than the average Euro area economy in 2020 owing in part to a high rate of digitalization of activities that allowed a large share of the work force to work remotely, while the strong policy response mitigated the impact of containment measures. A strong...

Burundi is a fragile state with a history of political tensions and weak institutions. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Burundi was recovering from an economic recession triggered by the 2015 political crisis stemming from the late President Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term. Real GDP...

The COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures have put severe strains on the economy. The economic policy response has been strong and generally appropriate, helping counter the negative effects of the pandemic. Nevertheless, as the international borders remain shut, the economic...

Comoros is a small, fragile island state (population: 850,000) with persistently low and shock-prone growth. The last Article IV Consultation (completed in early 2020) assessed Comoros' fragility as arising from two vicious circles: economic fragility manifests in low fiscal revenue,...

As other emerging economies reliant on tourism (about 25 percent total contribution of tourism-related industries in GDP and employment), Croatia has been hit hard by the pandemic and two devastating earthquakes, leading the economy to contract by 8.0 percent in 2020. Vaccinations have been...