Job retention (JR) schemes have been one of the main policy tools used by a number of OECD countries to contain the employment and social fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. By May 2020, JR schemes supported about 50 million jobs across the OECD, about ten times as many as during the global...

This policy brief documents how bi- and tri-partite social dialogue at different levels, including collective bargaining, is shaping and implementing measures that support a job-rich recovery – both by assisting workers in moving from declining to expanding job sectors in response to...

International trade plunged in 2020 but recovered sharply in 2021. While total trade flows are now comfortably above pre-pandemic levels, trade impacts across specific goods, services and trade partners are highly diverse, creating pressures on specific sectors and supply chains. The changes in...

While the COVID‑19 crisis had a disproportionate impact on immigrants during the first months of the pandemic, the longer run effects are more mixed. Employment rates of foreign-born people are up, back to or near pre-crisis levels for most countries. However, long-standing weaknesses in...

The urgency of tackling COVID-19 has led governments in many countries to launch a number of short-notice and fast-tracked initiatives (e.g. calls for research proposals). Without proper co-ordination amongst ministries and agencies, they run the risk of duplicating efforts or missing...

The Covid-19 emergency will affect the lives of many people around the globe. Its potential duration, combined with the impact on tax administration staff and taxpayers will bring unique challenges in managing the many different elements involved in ensuring continuity of critical activities and...

Health systems continue to adapt to cope with the COVID‑19 pandemic. Much focus has been placed on the scaling-up of hospital capacities. However, the pandemic is also deeply affecting the health of many people who are not infected by the virus. People living with chronic conditions are not...

Unprecedented measures imposed or recommended by governments, including travel restrictions and curtailment of business operations, have been in effect in most jurisdictions in various forms and stages during most of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this situation continues in 2021. This...

Firm entry has rebounded after the drop experienced during the first COVID-19 lockdowns of early 2020, yet the recovery in entry rates is highly heterogeneous across countries, with possible long-term implications for employment and output growth. Financial support to firms’ liquidity and...