The COVID-19 shock: continuity and change in labour markets and employment policies in Japan and the UK

该项目将比较英国和日本对新冠肺炎疫情的劳动力市场影响和政策回应。新冠肺炎疫情是一场突然而剧烈的全球冲击，但对不同的劳动力市场产生了截然不同的影响，即使在迫在眉睫的健康危机得到解决之后，这种冲击也将影响未来劳动力市场的趋势。识别新冠肺炎大流行对劳动力市场和政策反应的影响以及个人、公司和政府观念和行为的变化之间的相似性和差异性，有助于找到解决新冠肺炎大流行之前的常见中长期问题的办法。在这方面，日本和英国是两个独特且非常适合进行比较研究的国家，因为我们观察到劳动力市场和政策反应既有分歧又有趋同的特点。例如，日本和英国劳动力市场的特点非常不同，但在失业方面，新冠肺炎疫情对劳动力市场的影响相似。通过确定进一步的趋同和分歧领域以及分析应对政策的有效性，我们将澄清新冠肺炎大流行对劳动力市场和不平等趋势的几个方面的短期和长期影响；探索新冠肺炎冲击是否加剧/加剧或缓解了现有的大趋势和挑战；并分析政策影响。

This project will compare the labour market impacts and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic is a sudden and drastic global shock, but has had very different impacts in different labour markets, and this shock will influence future labour market trends even after the immediate health crisis has been resolved. Identifying the similarities and diversity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market and policy responses, as well as the changes in the perceptions and behaviour of people, companies, and governments, can contribute to finding solutions to the common medium- and long-term problems that predated the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, Japan and UK are two unique and very suitable countries for comparative study in that we observe features of both divergence and convergence in labour markets and policy responses. For example, the characteristics of the labour markets of Japan and UK are very different, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market was similar in terms of unemployment. By identifying further areas of convergence and divergence, and analysing the effectiveness of policy responses, we will clarify the short-term and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on several aspects of labour market and inequality trends; explore whether the COVID-19 shock exacerbated/intensified or mitigated existing megatrends and challenges; and analyse policy implications.