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Frontiers of Economics in China

ISSN 1673-3444

ISSN 1673-3568(Online)

CN 11-5744/F

Postal Subscription Code 80-978

Front. Econ. China    2020, Vol. 15 Issue (4) : 521-540    https://doi.org/10.3868/s060-011-020-0022-0
Orginal Article
Unintended Consequences of Lockdowns: Evidence from Domestic Helpers in Urban China
Xiaobo He1(), Fang Xiao2
1. School of Business, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai 201620, China; The Centre for Global Food and Resources, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
2. School of Business, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai 201620, China
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Abstract

This paper addresses the reactions of domestic helpers to the Wuhan (Hubei Province) lockdown that began on January 23, 2020. We use a novel dataset containing the information of over 40,000 Chinese domestic helpers registered on a leading professional website from November 2019 to June 2020. The results indicate a declining pattern of short-term labor supply of domestic helpers across 11 major Chinese cities, which shows an increase in the expected monthly wage of domestic helpers in these cities. More importantly, using a difference-in-difference (DID) model, this paper provides some evidence on the existence of labor market discrimination against domestic helpers born in Hubei Province due to employers’ fear of infection.

Keywords 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)      pandemic      domestic helpers      urban      China      labor supply      expected wage      labor market      discrimination     
Issue Date: 06 January 2021
 Cite this article:   
Xiaobo He,Fang Xiao. Unintended Consequences of Lockdowns: Evidence from Domestic Helpers in Urban China[J]. Front. Econ. China, 2020, 15(4): 521-540.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fec/EN/10.3868/s060-011-020-0022-0
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fec/EN/Y2020/V15/I4/521
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