We investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on small- and medium-sized enterprises in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Using firm-level panel data from an enterprise survey, we highlight several new findings. The surveyed firms resorted to wage and work hour reductions more readily than layoffs in the wake of the pandemic. Within these firms, larger firms are more resilient, recover faster, and adapt more often. On the sector level, the accommodation and food services sector is the worst affected by most outcomes. Furthermore, we find that switching to remote work is associated with better outcomes, while participating in government assistance programs is not. On the other hand, firms that participate in international trade are more resilient and adaptable during the pandemic. The results of the study carry policy implications relevant to the resilience of small- and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries in times of extreme crisis.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 时期的韧性：中东和北非中小企业的经验教训

我们调查了 COVID-19 大流行对约旦、埃及、突尼斯和摩洛哥中小企业的影响。使用来自企业调查的公司级面板数据，我们重点介绍了几项新发现。受调查的企业在疫情爆发后更愿意采取减少工资和工作时间的方式，而不是裁员。在这些公司中，规模较大的公司更有弹性，恢复得更快，适应得也更频繁。在部门层面上，住宿和食品服务部门是受大多数结果影响最严重的部门。此外，我们发现转向远程工作会带来更好的结果，而参与政府援助计划则不然。另一方面，参与国际贸易的企业在疫情期间更具弹性和适应性。