How Ethiopian Firms are adapting to the Pandemic? A brief look at the evidence from HFPS-F

The World Bank, in collaboration with the government, is implementing a high-frequency phone survey of firms

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its negative economic effects create a need for timely data and evidence to help monitor and mitigate the social and economic impacts of the crisis. To monitor the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures on formal firms in Ethiopia and inform the policy response, the World Bank, in collaboration with the government, is implementing a high-frequency phone survey of firms (HFPS-F). The HFPS-F interviews a sample of firms in Addis Ababa every three weeks for a total of eight survey rounds, and an additional sample of firms in four other cities in Ethiopia (Adama, Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and Mekelle) for a total of seven rounds. This high-frequency follow-up allows for a better understanding of the effects of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on firm operations, hiring and firing, and expectations of future operations and labor demand in order to better tailor and implement interventions and policy responses and monitor their effects.

This work is part of the Closing the Gender Gap in Africa: evaluating new policies and programmes for women’s economic empowerment programme

Citation

Abebe, Girum; Bundervoet, Tom; Wieser, Christina. 2020. Monitoring COVID-19 Impacts on Firms in Ethiopia, Report No. 7 : How Ethiopian Firms are Adapting to the Pandemic? A Brief Look at the Evidence from HFPS-F. World Bank, Washington, DC.

How Ethiopian Firms are adapting to the Pandemic? A brief look at the evidence from HFPS-F

Published 1 September 2020