theconversation.com (26.04.2022) So low is Australia’s unemployment rate, the official count says there are now just 580,300 people unemployed – the least since 2009, when Australia’s population was one-sixth smaller than it is today. Compared to just before the start of the pandemic, 184,800 fewer Australians are now unemployed.

brookings.edu (27.05.2022) The COVID-19 recession was born out of a public health threat. Thus, unemployment insurance (UI) was meant to insure people against income losses associated not just with involuntary job loss, as in a usual recession, but also with the choice not to work due to the public health risk.

oecd.org (March 2022) This document provides an update on the use of job retention (JR) schemes during the COVID-19 crisis until the end of 2021 and takes stock of the different strategies employed by OECD governments to adjust them as the crisis evolved. It provides three key insights. First, since reaching a peak of 20% of employment in April/May 2020 on average across OECD countries, the use of JR support has declined to 1.3% in November/December 2021.

Journal of International Development (nov 2021) As many other countries, India leverages on a pre-existingworkfare programme as a COVID-19 response. We com-bine monthly administrative data with migration and pov-erty statistics and provide four insights on the recent expansion of the programme. First, poorer districts includemore households, that is, increasing extensive margin. Sec-ond, in districts with a high proportion of return migrants,there is no increase, and third, unmet demand for work is higher than the national average of 22.7%.

Forbes India (20.08.2021) Structural weaknesses in the jobs market, amplified by Covid-19, continue to quietly impact many, particularly women and younger workers. Creating sustainable, quality employment opportunities need urgent policy attention and reforms

policyoptions.irpp.org (10.08.2021) COVID revealed the shortcomings of Employment Insurance and income-support programs. As the economy rebuilds, now’s the time to examine the system.

The Economic Times (15.07.2021) The labour ministers of five BRICS nations -Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa on Thursday, said the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the efforts made in the past to address unemployment, decent work deficits and inequality. “Discussion on four priority areas of cooperation took place namely, promoting social security agreements amongst BRICS nations; formalisation of labour markets; participation of women in the labour force; and gig and platform workers’ role in the labour market,” it said in a statement.

capital.com (29.06.2021) Malaysia announced a MYR150bn ($36bn) economic aid package as the Southeast Asian nation continues to grapple with COVID-19 restrictions. The package has aspects such as direct cash transfers to citizens, assistance to small and medium enterprises and additional healthcare spending. The highlight of the aid package is MYR10bn of direct fiscal spending by the government for cash aid, unemployment assistance and wage subsidies. Specifically, the government will spend MYR4.6bn for direct cash transfers to people.

The Labor Department determined it doesn’t have the legal authority to stop states from opting out of federal unemployment programs early, according to an agency official. The programs have offered unemployment benefits to millions of people since the early days of the Covid pandemic. The American Rescue Plan extended them to Sept. 6. Twenty-five states, all led by Republican governors, are withdrawing early. The earliest are doing so effective Saturday, June 12.

dol.gov (06.03.2121)

The U.S. Senate approved a Republican measure setting federal unemployment benefits for those made jobless by the coronavirus pandemic at $300 per week, as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.