How Did the Great Recession Affect Different Types of Workers? Evidence from 17 Middle-Income Countries

SummaryThis paper examines how different types of workers in middle-income countries fared during the immediate aftermath of the great recession. Youth suffered extraordinary increases in unemployment and declines in wage employment. Employment to population ratios also plummeted for men, primarily due to their higher initial employment rates. Percentage employment declines within sector were gender-neutral, and there is little indication of strong added worker effects. Traditionally disadvantaged groups such as less educated and female workers were not necessarily most affected during the crisis, underscoring the importance of implementing targeted mitigation measures that focus on displaced youth and wage employees.