COVID-19, job loss, and underemployment: who is affected?

This paper seeks to examine the short-term adverse effects of the labor market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on employment by estimating and comparing the probability of job loss, underemployment, and employment gain in January, April, and July 2020. Using data from the Philippine Labor Force Survey, we find that the workers who were most vulnerable to job loss and underemployment amid the COVID-19 pandemic are male, less educated, and those working in sectors that are either with limited operational capacity or not allowed to open at all. On a positive note, the results also suggest that males and less-educated individuals are more likely to gain employment after being jobless in the previous quarter. A policy recommendation is to establish an institutionalized social insurance program, such as an unemployment insurance facility, to protect a wider range of workers from the negative shocks to the labor market.

Selection of Renewable Energy Sources for Sustainable Development and an Economic Model Proposal for Countries

Meeting the energy requirements with imported fuels leads to economic and political problems in the countries. Therefore, renewable energy investments continue to grow globally as a sustainable and increasingly economically viable alternative to conventional sources of energy. This study aims to reduce the share of imported fuels in Turkey's electricity generation and to estimate the employment gain to be provided by renewable energy investments to be established instead. Approximately 900,000 jobs are created during the production, construction, operational, and maintenance phases of additional 49,448 MW capacity renewable power plants to be installed. While analyzing, the decision on how much to invest in which renewable resource is determined with respect to multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model.

The Arrival of Fast Internet and Employment in Africa

To show how fast Internet affects employment in Africa, we exploit the gradual arrival of submarine Internet cables on the coast and maps of the terrestrial cable network. Robust difference-in-differences estimates from 3 datasets, covering 12 countries, show large positive effects on employment rates—also for less educated worker groups—with little or no job displacement across space. The sample-wide impact is driven by increased employment in higher-skill occupations, but less-educated workers’ employment gain less so. Firm-level data available for some countries indicate that increased firm entry, productivity, and exporting contribute to higher net job creation. Average incomes rise. (JEL F14, J23, J24, J63, L86, O15, O33)

Selection of Renewable Energy Sources for Sustainable Development and an Economic Model Proposal for Countries

Meeting the energy requirements with imported fuels leads to economic and political problems in the countries. Therefore, renewable energy investments continue to grow globally as a sustainable and increasingly economically viable alternative to conventional sources of energy. This study aims to reduce the share of imported fuels in Turkey's electricity generation and to estimate the employment gain to be provided by renewable energy investments to be established instead. Approximately 900,000 jobs are created during the production, construction, operational, and maintenance phases of additional 49,448 MW capacity renewable power plants to be installed. While analyzing, the decision on how much to invest in which renewable resource is determined with respect to multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model.