The 5th JILPT Tokyo Comparative Labor Policy Seminar 2022 (Online)
The Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Market and Policy Responses ―Strengthening Social Protection for Vulnerable Workers

The global COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, has had a major impact on work, life, and public awareness in countries and regions around the world. The lockdowns and business closures imposed in the early stages of the outbreak has affected the labor market, resulting in reduced work hours and unemployment. ILO estimates as well as various surveys including panel surveys conducted by JILPT show that these impacts on vulnerable workers have been significant, with women being more affected than men, and informal workers more impacted than formal workers. On the other hand, some reports indicate that during these employment crises, government policies to support companies to maintain employment had an effect of preventing further large-scale employment losses from occurring.

Bearing this in mind, JILPT held the 5th JILPT Tokyo Comparative Labor Policy Seminar on March 9, 2022, addressing the topic of “The Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Market and Policy Responses – Strengthening Social Protection for Vulnerable Workers.” Focusing on job retention schemes, the participants shared views and experiences, and provided a new direction for future policy such as the enhancement of social protection for vulnerable workers and the development of working environments along with the increasing adoption of teleworking and other such changes in ways of working.

Date: March 9, 2022

Venue: Online

Seminar Theme

The Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Market and Policy Responses: Strengthening Social Protection for Vulnerable Workers

Program

Opening Ceremony & Keynote Lectures

• Welcome & Opening Remarks
  Prof. Yoshio HIGUCHI, President, JILPT

• Keynote Lectures
  

  The Impact of COVID-19 on OECD Labour Markets: Trends and Policy Responses
  Dr. Stéphane CARCILLO, Head of Jobs and Income Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

  Prof. María Emilia CASAS BAAMONDE, President, International Society for Labour and Social Security Law (ISLSSL)

Session 1: Research Presentations, Part 1

Chair: Prof. Yanfei ZHOU, Professor, Japan Women's University

• Japan
  COVID-19's Impact on Labor Market and Policy Responses in Japan (PDF:1.67MB)
  Koji TAKAHASHI, Senior Researcher, the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT)
• India
  Strengthening India's Social Protection Architecture for the Informal Sector: Lessons from the Covid-19 Crisis (PDF:312KB)
  Radhicka KAPOOR, Senior Fellow, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)
• Indonesia
  The Social Security and Unemployment Trends during COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia (PDF:384KB)
  Ike FARIDA, Founder and Managing Partner of Farida Law Office
• Malaysia
  Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Malaysian Labour Market and Policy Responses (PDF:417KB)
  Beatrice Fui Yee LIM, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
• Australia
  COVID-19 and Australian Labour Regulation: An Overview Impacts, Policy Responses and Future Directions (PDF:283KB)
  Adriana ORIFICI, Lecturer, Department of Business Law and Taxation, Monash University and PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne
• Chair's Comments
  Prof. Yanfei ZHOU, Professor, Japan Women's University

Session 2: Research Presentations, Part 2

Chair: Prof. Chikako KANKI, Associate Professor, the University of Tokyo Graduate Schools for Law and Politics

• China
  Resilience and Its Reinforcement: How China's Labor Market Resists the COVID-19 Epidemic and Policy Efficacy (PDF:289KB)
  Tianyu WANG, Associate Professor, Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
• Korea
  Giving a New Present or Returning the Original Share: New Insight about Law and Policy for Working People in Korea (PDF:428KB)
  Sukhwan CHOI, Assistant Professor, School of Law, Seoul National University
• New Zealand
  Added Pressure: Exploring the Impacts of Covid-19 on Workers and Labour Laws in Aotearoa New Zealand (PDF:326KB)
  Dawn DUNCAN, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Otago
• Philippines
  Mitigating the Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on the Philippine Labor Market (PDF:465KB)
  Ronahlee A. ASUNCION, Dean, School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines Diliman
• Taiwan
  COVID-19 and Labor Law in Taiwan (PDF:232KB)
  Wanning HSU, Professor, College of Law, National Taiwan University
• Chair's Comments
  Prof. Chikako KANKI, Associate Professor, the University of Tokyo Graduate Schools for Law and Politics

Concluding Session

• Moderator: Prof. Takashi ARAKI, Professor, the University of Tokyo Graduate Schools for Law and Politics

Seminar program uploaded on April 6, 2022
PDF data uploaded on October 25, 2022

Related Information

• JILPT Tokyo Comparative Labor Policy Seminar (2017-)
• Japan Labor Issues Seminar Report

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