Impact of Covid-19 on Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Iraq

Diego Martin, Erin Neale, Raffaele Bertini (), Julia Omomo and Olga Aymerich
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Raffaele Bertini: Regional Office of IOM for Middle East and North Africa

No 1552, Working Papers from Economic Research Forum

Abstract: Among the main socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Middle Eastern countries, its impact on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is one of the most relevant, especially in post-conflict and fragile countries and contexts. To analyze this, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Trade Centre (ITC) jointly conducted a panel study tracking the pandemic’s impact on SMEs in Iraq. The survey was disseminated among more than 700 SMEs across the country covering 16 economic sectors. Four rounds of data were collected at four points in time between June 2020 and June 2021 (June/July 2020, September 2020, November/December 2020, and June 2021) from businesses registered in the IOM’s database, located in both urban and rural areas. Findings from four rounds of data collection show that COVID-19 negatively affected production, revenue, and employment and, notably, the gender gap in the labor force at the beginning of the pandemic (February to June 2020) and COVID-19-related movement restrictions. This study concludes with related policy recommendations for Iraq and the Middle Eastern countries.

Pages: 42
Date: 2022-06-20, Revised 2022-06-20
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara, nep-ent and nep-sbm
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