How did the duration of Spain’s furlough schemes affect their efficacy?

This article assesses how effective Spain’s furlough schemes were from the start of the COVID-19 crisis in allowing the workers affected to return to work. On average between 2020 and 2021, the absolute probability of workers resuming their activity was high, although the shorter the furlough scheme...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Izquierdo, Mario, Puente, Sergio, Auciello Estévez, Iván
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Banco de España
Repositorio:Repositorio Institucional del Banco de España
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.bde.es:123456789/23687
Acceso en línea:https://repositorio.bde.es/handle/123456789/23687
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Economic situation
Labour market
Furlough schemes
Employment
COVID-19
Seguridad social y programas de asistencia social
Mercado de trabajo
J23
J63
J08
Descripción
Sumario:This article assesses how effective Spain’s furlough schemes were from the start of the COVID-19 crisis in allowing the workers affected to return to work. On average between 2020 and 2021, the absolute probability of workers resuming their activity was high, although the shorter the furlough scheme, the higher the probability: almost 65% for workers who were furloughed for just one quarter, compared with slightly more than 26% for those who were furloughed for three quarters. When compared with workers of identical characteristics who were not furloughed but lost their jobs and became economically inactive or unemployed, the gap is positive, but it also narrows over time. In consequence, the results show that the furlough schemes – especially the shorter ones – were highly effective in the period analysed. However, the longer the furlough schemes lasted, the less effective they tended to be, especially for certain groups, such as younger workers, those with temporary contracts and workers in certain service activities.