A crisis like no other? Unmet needs in healthcare during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis in Austria.

BACKGROUND: Many patients experienced restricted access to healthcare during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study is among the first to provide systematic evidence on the existence of subjective unmet needs (SUN) in different population groups during the pandemic. METHODS: Using data on individuals aged 20-64 and living in Austria from the AKCOVID survey (June 2020) and the 'European Social Survey' (2015), SUN were compared between 2015 and 2020, either related to the pandemic (fear of infection, provider closed or treatment postponed) or not (barriers related to knowledge, affordability, time and reachability). Multinomial logistic regression models identified determinants of SUN during the pandemic, adjusting for socio-demographics, socio-economic status and self-reported health. RESULTS: Shares of the population with SUN in 2020 substantially exceeded SUN in 2015. Excess unmet needs were mostly attributable to the pandemic. Postponed treatments and closed providers were the most important reasons for SUN in June 2020. Older age groups (50-64 years), inactive and retired people were most likely to report pandemic-related SUN. We did not find socio-economic differences in pandemic-related SUN. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic resulted in a supply-side shock to healthcare, with vulnerabilities emerging especially among older people, people with poor health and/or people no longer active on the labour market. Further research could focus on health system resilience and the possibilities to improve management of healthcare services during pandemics without widening inequalities while maintaining population health.

[The impact of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on the employment and financial situation of families in Austria]. / Die Auswirkungen der Frühphase der COVID-19 Pandemie auf die Erwerbssituation und die finanzielle Lage von Familien in Österreich.

This research note presents first results of the AKCOVID study. Based on representative survey data the study examines the impact of the pandemic on the economic situation of families with children in Austria. We compared the situation of couples with dependent children and single parents before the start of the crisis (February 2020) with the situation in June 2020. The descriptive results indicate that a large proportion of families were already affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic three months after the onset of the Corona crisis. Pandemic-related changes in the employment situation of parents led to significant financial losses and rising shares of families with difficulties managing on their current household income (subjective poverty risk). Among the most strongly affected families were couples with more than two minor children and single parents. The analyses illustrate the direct and massive impact of the pandemic on families in Austria. Especially those who were already in a vulnerable financial situation before the crisis felt its economic impact. And many of those who were not yet affected worried that they may still run into financial problems in the further course of the pandemic.

The impact of occupational structures on ethnic and gendered employment gaps: An event history analysis using social security register data.

Ethnic and gendered employment gaps are mainly explained by individual characteristics, while less attention is paid to occupational structures. Drawing on administrative data, this article analyses the impact of occupational characteristics on top of individual attributes in the urban labour market of Vienna. Both set of variables can explain observed employment gaps to a large extent, but persistent gaps remain, in particular among females. The article's main finding is that the occupational structure appears to have gendered effects. While men tend to benefit from ethnic segregation, women face difficulties when looking for jobs with high shares of immigrant workers. Looking for jobs in occupations that recruit from relatively few educational backgrounds (credentials) is beneficial for both sexes at the outset unemployment, but among females this competitive advantage diminishes over time. The article concludes by discussing potential strategies to avoid the traps of occupational segregation.