Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes
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Publication
Myanmar Monitoring Platform - Household Surveys: Results from the May 2022 High-Frequency Phone Survey of Households
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022)This report focuses on the results of round eight high frequency phone survey of households in Myanmar conducted in May 2022. -
Publication
Does Elderly Employment Reduce Job Opportunities for Youth?
(World Bank, Malaysia, 2021-08-09)The aging of populations around the world and the associated fall in the working age population are expected to adversely affect countries’ GDP growth in coming decades. These demographic shifts will also place fiscal pressure on governments, given the need either to finance pension systems or to support the most vulnerable in retirement. Extending working lives is imperative but often politically challenging, due to the widespread belief that extending employment for older workers will limit employment opportunities for youth. Global empirical evidence summarized in this brief, as well as original analysis, does not support this belief, and in fact suggests that elderly employment has positive effects on youth employment, on the well-being of older workers, and on economies and societies. There is much to gain in creating a supportive regulatory environment to harness the economic potential of older workers by eliminating age-biased hiring practices, allowing for flexible working conditions, and providing equal opportunities for upskilling and reskilling. -
Publication
Impacts of COVID-19 on Firms in Malaysia: Results from the 3rd Round of COVID-19 Business Pulse Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-07)The COVID-19 Business Pulse Survey (BPS) is a rapid survey designed to measure the various channels of impact of COVID-19 on firms, firm adjustment strategies, and public policy responses. The World Bank, in collaboration with a private survey company, conducted the 3rd round of survey in July 2021, following the 1st round in October 2020 and 2nd round of the Malaysia BPS in Mid-January to February 2021. Firms were sampled randomly from an online business panel database, which consists of 100,000+ companies in all sectors and sizes, across Peninsular and East Malaysia. A minimum sample size was obtained for sectors that are important to Malaysia’s economy and are sensitive to the COVID-19 crisis (export-oriented activities: electronics, automotive, tourism related activities) while preserving the sectoral shares in the sampling frame. The survey was conducted online and yielded 1,500 responses from respondents in senior management positions at their company (i.e. owners, C-suite or Director level). -
Publication
Monitoring Impacts on Households in Lao PDR, Report No. 3, April-May 2021: Results Snapshot from a Rapid Monitoring Phone Survey (Round 3)
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06)As infections spiked across Southeast Asia, the number of confirmed cases in Lao PDR surged from fewer than 50 cases in early April to over 6,000 cases in August 2021. The government of Lao PDR announced a 14-day lockdown on April 22, 2021, which has since been extended several times. International borders remain closed. The measures have caused disruption to businesses and a reduction in working hours and labor earnings. The second Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has setback economic recovery and much uncertainty remains. To monitor the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, the World Bank is conducting a series of Coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid monitoring phone surveys of households in Lao PDR. This monitoring data helps provide insights Into t e effects of the pandemic on household well-being. The third-round survey was conducted from April 26 to May 30, 2021 during a second lockdown. This note provides a snapshot of results from the third-round survey. -
Publication
Monitoring COVID-19 Impacts on Households in Lao PDR, Report No. 2: Results Snapshot from a Rapid Monitoring Phone Survey (Round 2)
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-05)The first-round survey was conducted from June 20 to July 16, 2020, when Lao PDR had just exited the nationwide lockdown. The second-round survey was conducted from February 26 to March 24, 2021, one year into the pandemic. This note provides a snapshot of results from the second-round survey. More survey results on public service delivery and citizen’s expectations from the government in response to COVID-19 are available in a separate note. -
Publication
Productivity in the Time of COVID-19: Evidence from East Asia and Pacific
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-26)Firms in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region have been hit hard by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, with dramatic and widespread falls in sales and employment. Firm sales in some EAP countries were 38 to 58 percent lower in April or May 2020, compared to the same month in the previous year. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been particularly affected. The pandemic will have a lasting impact on productivity growth as firm indebtedness and increased uncertainty inhibit investment, and firm closures and unemployment lead to a loss of valuable intangible assets. Support for firms is needed but must be based as far as possible on objective criteria, related not only to past performance or current pain but to the potential for firms, including new firms, to thrive in the future. To avoid unduly prolonging assistance, governments should build exit strategies into the design of support measures and commit to phasing support out by linking it to observable macroeconomic indicators of recovery. -
Publication
Impacts of COVID-19 on Firms in the Philippines: Results from the Philippines COVID-19 Firm Survey conducted in November 2020
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021)The findings are based on the survey of 13,878 firms conducted from November 26 to December 10, 2020, to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on firms. This survey builds on a government survey in April 2020 and the World Bank-government joint survey in July 2020, both of which benefit from a large sample size and present a nationwide representative snapshot of firms in the Philippines. Easing of the community quarantine has led to more businesses reopening (63 percent in November vs. 45 percent in July), but with only a small proportion operating at full capacity (9 percent). While some managers closed businesses in compliance with government regulation (9 percent), others voluntarily closed their businesses (21 percent) despite eased community quarantines. About 7 percent of firms reported to have closed permanently. Reduction in sales has continued for firms. 67 percent of firms reported a reduction in sales between July and November 2020, compared to 88 percent between April and July 2020. The main reason for decreased sales is limited operation (58 percent) and inability of customers to come to establishments (38 percent). Downward adjustments of employment continued in November 2020 (38 percent), albeit at a slower pace than in July 2020 (50 percent). Significant shares of firms also made adjustments on the intensive margin, reducing hours (19 percent) and wages (16 percent). Only 3 percent of firms hired new employees. A large share of firms reported acute liquidity constraints, with reports of not having enough cash and having fallen behind in payments. 66 percent of firms did not have enough cash to pay all costs and payments such as payroll, suppliers, taxes or loan repayment beyond 1 month. Two thirds of firms had adjusted loan repayment terms, and 48 percent of firms were in arrears, with an additional 29 percent expecting to be in arrears by February 2021. Despite firms expressing cautious optimism that sales and employment will increase over the next 3 months, many expect their financial positions to worsen. -
Publication
Rapid Information from Household High-Frequency Survey: Summary of Results from Round 4
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-12-08)The brief presents the main findings from the fourth of eight rounds of a nationally representative survey of 1,500 randomly selected households in all states/regions of Myanmar. The survey was undertaken by conducting a 20-minute phone call with respondents from 7th to 29th October 2020. -
Publication
Impacts of COVID-19 on Firms in Malaysia: Results from the 1st Round of COVID-19 Business Pulse Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-12)The COVID-19 Business Pulse Survey (BPS) is a rapid survey designed to measure the various channels of impact of COVID-19 on firms, firm adjustment strategies, and public policy responses. The World Bank, in collaboration with a private survey company, conducted the 1st round of the Malaysia BPS in October 2020. Firms were sampled randomly from an online business panel database, which consists of 100,000 plus companies in all sectors and sizes, across Peninsular and East Malaysia. A minimum sample size was obtained for sectors that are important to Malaysia’s economy and are sensitive to the COVID-19 crisis (export oriented activities: electronics, automotive, tourism related activities) while preserving the sectoral shares in the sampling frame. The survey was conducted online and yielded 1,500 responses from respondents in senior management positions at their company (i.e. owners, C-suite or Director level). -
Publication
Impacts of COVID-19 on Firms in Vietnam, Report No. 2: Results from the 2nd Round of COVID-19 Business Pulse Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-11)Vietnam reacted early to the spread of COVID-19 by imposing social distancing measures and mobility restrictions. Firms are recovering on average with further reopening and lower revenue loss. Firms also reported lower incidence of reduced hours worked, reduced demand, and input disruptions. However, the extent of sales drop is still extensive (-36% relative to last year) and net employment has not recovered, staying significantly below the January level.