The Effects of COVID-19 Closure Policies on Small Hospitality Businesses

Abstract

This commentary discusses the article “Understanding the impact of Covid-19 intervention policies on the hospitality labor market” written by Arthur Huang and his collaborators. By using high-frequency data from small hospitality businesses in the United States, their time series analysis uncovers how state intervention policies affect the hospitality labor market. Specifically, the number of businesses open, number of working hours, and number of non-salaried employees are considered. From their findings, implications and additional thoughts are described.