ILO says 81% of global workforce are impacted by COVID-19

Four out of five workers in the global workforce have been reportedly impacted by COVID 19 such as having lost jobs or working less hours.

According to the International Labor Organization on Tuesday, 81 percent in the global workforce, 2.64 billion, are currently affected by full or partial workplace closures. Some 1.25 billion people have been impacted in the Asia Pacific region alone as a result of government measures to restrict travel and shutdown of commercial stores.

The ILO also estimated that global working hours may decline by 6.7% in the second quarter, which is equivalent to the loss of 19.5 billion full-time jobs in terms of working hours.

Retail, manufacturing, hospitality and food industries, which account for around 38% of the global workforce, are among the most vulnerable sectors. The ILO pointed out that the majority of these

workers are low-paid, low-skilled workers with high risk of layoffs.

“Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in both developed and developing economies,” said ILO Director General Ryder, describing COVID-19 as the “the worst global crisis since World War II.”


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com