How Are Small Businesses Adjusting to COVID-19? Early Evidence from a Survey

Alexander Bartik (), Marianne Bertrand, Zoë B. Cullen, Edward Glaeser, Michael Luca and Christopher T. Stanton

No 26989, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In addition to its impact on public health, COVID-19 has had a major impact on the economy. To shed light on how COVID-19 is affecting small businesses – and on the likely impact of the recent stimulus bill, we conducted a survey of more than 5,800 small businesses. Several main themes emerge from the results. First, mass layoffs and closures have already occurred. In our sample, 43 percent of businesses are temporarily closed, and businesses have – on average – reduced their employee counts by 40 percent relative to January. Second, consistent with previous literature, we find that many small businesses are financially fragile. For example, the median business has more than $10,000 in monthly expenses and less than one month of cash on hand. Third, businesses have widely varying beliefs about the likely duration of COVID related disruptions. Fourth, the majority of businesses planned to seek funding through the CARES act. However, many anticipated problems with accessing the aid, such as bureaucratic hassles and difficulties establishing eligibility.

JEL-codes: E65 I12 L20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-mac
Note: EH IO LE LS PE PR
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (316)

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