BUSINESS disruptions caused by the spread of the more infectious variants of Covid-19 have stifled the projected worldwide employment recovery this year, according to a new report of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
In its latest World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) report, ILO raised its projected that full-time jobs will suffer a deficit in hours of work from 26 million to 52 million this year.
It also gave a bleak global unemployment outlook this year — expected to reach 207 million, compared to the 186 million in prepandemic 2019.
This after the Delta and Omicron variants of Covid-19 have led to a significant spike in the number of infections in many countries.
ILO reiterated its warning that the effects of the pandemic will now likely “require years to repair” as it caused “deepening inequalities within and among countries and weakening the economic, financial and social fabric of almost every nation, regardless of development status.”
“We are already seeing potentially lasting damage to labor markets, along with concerns about increases in poverty and inequality. Many workers are being required to shift to new types of work – for example in response to the prolonged slump in international travel and tourism,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said in a statement.
He noted that lower-middle-income economies are faring worse in the pandemic compared to high-income countries, which have more access to Covid-19 vaccines and can implement economic recovery measures.
ILO’s proposed agenda
To address such risk, ILO is pushing for governments to implement a “comprehensive human-centered policy agenda.”
Such measures include ensuring the protection of workers in workplaces and granting them access to comprehensive, adequate and sustainable social protection.
“There can be no real recovery from this pandemic without a broad-based labour market recovery,” Ryder said.
“It is therefore essential that governments and employers’ and workers organizations come together in renewed determination to address these challenges,” he added.