Working Paper: NBER ID: w29598
Authors: Grant R. McDermott; Benjamin Hansen
Abstract: We investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor activity using real-time data from millions of GitHub users around the world. We show that the pandemic triggered a sharp pattern of labor reallocation at both the global and regional level. Users were more likely to work on weekends and outside of traditional 9 am to 6 pm hours, especially during the early phase of the pandemic. We also document considerable heterogeneity between different user groups and locations. Some locations show a steady reversion back to historical work patterns, while others have experienced persistent trend deviations in the wake of COVID-19. The pattern of labor reallocation is slightly more pronounced among males in our sample, suggesting that men may have benefited more from the increased flexibility provided by remote work than women. Finally, we show that the pattern of reallocation was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in overall activity, though this effect is more transient. We discuss several potential mechanisms and draw tentative conclusions for broader workplace trends given our study population.
Keywords: COVID-19; Remote Work; Labor Reallocation; GitHub; Real-Time Data
JEL Codes: J01; J22; J23; J4; O3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| stress and illness (I12) | confounding of effects (C92) |
| COVID-19 pandemic (H12) | labor reallocation among GitHub users (J69) |
| COVID-19 pandemic (H12) | increased engagement on weekends and outside traditional working hours (J29) |
| increased flexibility of remote work arrangements (J29) | labor reallocation among GitHub users (J69) |
| COVID-19 pandemic (H12) | overall activity on the platform (D26) |
| COVID-19 pandemic (H12) | changes in labor patterns (J29) |