The effect of the removal of regional anti-COVID restrictive measures on the dynamics of applications for unemployment benefits in Russia

Abstract

This paper assesses changes in the dynamics of applications for unemployment benefits in response to the abolition of regional restrictive measures during the first wave of COVID-19 spread in Russia. This assessment is interesting from the perspective of developing anti-crisis support measures for the population. The assessment is based on weekly-regional panel data using the staggered difference-in-differences method. After the lifting of restrictive measures, the number of new applications for unemployment benefits does not decrease significantly. The result remains robust when an alternative measure of the stringency of restrictions is used, such as an indicator for the validity period of digital passes instead of data on the stages of lifting restrictions. A comparison of official data on the effect of restrictive measures with the Yandex self-isolation index is provided.