COVID-19 AND RELATED GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS’ IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT IN GEORGIA

Due to the pandemic, 2020 became one of the most memorable years in the world history. It affected employment as well. Georgia was one of the countries which experienced the pandemic impacts on its citizens. The unemployment rate in-creased by 2,1% within a year and reached 20,6% in 2021. Despite state regulations and restrictions, Georgia was among the most vulnerable countries to COVID-19 spreading. It caused severe results on employment and the whole economy. The paper aims to define and analyze the impact of COVID-19 and related state regulations’ impact on employment in Georgia as well as to identify the tendencies based on the qualitative analysis of the surveys conducted in Georgia. The existing literature and available information on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and employment is reviewed. Comparative analysis of the EU and Georgian state regulations related to COVID-19 is provided. Data used in the paper is of secondary type. Graphs are used to visualize data, and analysis of statistical observation is applied. Georgian researcher’s findings are also used. Signif-icant evaluations and analyses are drawn depending on the collected data relating to COVID-19 impact on the economy, employment and people's perception. Some authors’ predictions are presented as well.