AT least 22 million people in the Asia-Pacific region could live in poverty due to the economic disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (Covid-19), according to a latest report of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The labor arm of the United Nations made the projection in its Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2020 report.
“Preliminary estimates in the report find an additional 22 million to 25 million persons could fall into working poverty, which would push the total number of working poor [living on less than $1.90 a day] in the Asia-Pacific region to between 94 million and 98 million in 2020,” ILO said in a statement.
It noted this could worsen inequalities especially in developing countries in the regions, which include the Philippines.
In the report, the Philippines was tagged as one of the countries with the highest employment loss for the second quarter of the year at 19 percent.
Vulnerable sector
Some 81 million jobs were lost in the Asia-Pacific region this year due to the pandemic and millions other with reduced work hours or benefits.
ILO estimated the unemployment rate in the region could increase from 4.4 percent in 2019 to somewhere between 5.2 percent and 5.7 percent this year.
This as the region suffers massive job losses, which ILO estimates is now at 81 million. Most of these affected workers are women and young people.
The mass displacement could have been worse had the affected governments did not implement the necessary measures to “help enterprises retain workers.”
“Given the mounting evidence that social protection and employment policies save jobs and incomes, the hope is that the crisis brings about a more permanent and increased investment in elements needed to boost resilience and promote a more people-centred future of work,” said Sara Elder, Senior Economist at the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and lead author of the report.
Image credits: Bernard Testa, Nonie Reyes and Roy Domingo