How Firms in the Service Sector Changed Their Behavior During the Covid-19 Pandemic - A Case Study from the Moravian-Silesian Region

Anotace: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the service sector. This paper aims to assess how firms in the service sector changed their behavior during the covid-19 pandemic regarding innovations and using flexible forms of work. We obtained responses from approximately 300 companies operating in the Moravian-Silesian region service sector through a questionnaire survey. We show that the most common innovation firms use organizational and process innovation. Moreover, we found that larger, younger, and more internalized firms enjoyed more innovation during the pandemic than others. While changes in part-time jobs and agreements held outside the employment relationship are temporary, changes in home office use and outsourcing appear to be permanent.