Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Labor Market Surveys at the German Institute for Employment Research

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated government lockdown restrictions have fueled a high demand for survey data on how individuals and establishments are coping with the restrictions. However, the pandemic has also dramatically affected surveys themselves, forcing research institutes to adapt their fieldwork operations to the uncertain and evolving conditions. This paper documents the specific impacts of the pandemic on several ongoing surveys at the Institute for Employment Research in Germany, and describes how these impacts have been addressed. In addition, this paper summarizes efforts to rapidly develop new Covid-19 surveys to help meet the increasing demand for timely data about the effects of the Corona-Crisis on the labor market.