Abraham comments on Work Sharing programs

Writing int he New York Times, Patricia Cohen reported on the advantages of Work Sharing programs, which subsidize the salaries of employees who work reduce hours instead of losing their jobs."Work sharing programs are extraordinarily popular among economists, Republican and Democratic policymakers, employers and workers — at least those who have heard of them," she writes. "The problem is that few have, even though economists say work sharing is one of the best ways to strengthen the labor market during a downturn."

Faculty Associate Katharine Abraham pointed out that a temporary economic crisis like the coronavirus is the kind of situation that work sharing was designed for. “If you think these businesses aren’t going to go away, then laying people off and having them take jobs elsewhere is a lot of disruption that doesn’t need to happen,” she said.

See the complete story in the New York Times