EVENT FMI

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have long-lasting effects in the labor market, which may require a significant reallocation of workers across sectors and occupations with associated upskilling and reskilling needs.

The current endowment of skills, as well as some features of labor market institutions, may become bottlenecks limiting the extent of reallocation needed to accommodate the shifts in labor demand caused by potential shifts in preferences and business practices. Setting up the right policy response should help smooth the adjustment process and minimize mismatches in the labor market and employment loss.

Opening Remarks

Jörg Decressin, Deputy Director, European Department, IMF

Setting the Stage

  • Presentation John Bluedorn, Deputy Division Chief, Research Department, IMF:  “Recessions and Recoveries in Labor Markets: Patterns, Policies, and Responses to the COVID-19 Shock"
  • Presentation Agnès Bénassy-Quéré, Chief Economist, DG Trésor: “Insights on sectoral reallocations in the aftermath of the Covid crisis” [Download the presentation]

Roundtable discussion

Moderator: Philippe Martin, Chairman of the French Council of Economic Analysis and Professor of Economics, Sciences Po

Invited speakers:

  • Morad Ben Mezian, Deputy Head of Strategy at the DGEFP, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion
  • Pierre Cahuc, Professor of Economics, Sciences Po, Research fellow IZA and CEPR
  • Bruno Crepon, Professor of Economics, ENSAE, Research fellow IZA
  • Isabelle Eynaud-Chevalier, Director General of Prism'emploi
  • Céline Jaeggy, Director of Institutional and Legal Affairs, UNÉDIC
  • Marc Ferracci,  Advisor, Office of the French Prime Minister

Open discussion

Closing Remarks

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