Coronavirus: ILO alarms about the state of the world labor market

The shops in Marrakech are empty. AFP Photos / Fadel Senna

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According to the International Labor Organization, 1.25 billion workers are at risk of layoffs or reduced wages.

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New ILO study, released Tuesday, April 7, estimates that more than four in five (81%) of the world's workforce (3.3 billion) are currently affected by the total closure or partial workplaces.

The new coronavirus pandemic is also expected to wipe out 6.7% of working hours worldwide in the second quarter of 2020 alone, or 195 million full-time equivalents (for a 48-hour working week).

According to the International Labor Organization, the job market is currently facing its most " serious crisis since the Second World War ".

Critical situation in the Asia-Pacific region

These heavy losses in terms of jobs are expected, especially in upper middle-income countries. The European continent should not be spared just like the Arab countries. Example: the coronavirus grabs precarious workers in the Maghreb by the throat . Or millions of workers, across the three countries with a population of around 90 million.

The situation is particularly critical in Morocco, a country marked by great inequalities, with a very low activity rate (less than 50%) and an informal employment rate of 79.9% against 63.3% in Algeria or 58 .8% in Tunisia. But it is the Asia-Pacific region that should suffer the most, at this time of the year.

Many countries have called on people to stay at home to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 75,500 people worldwide and for which there is no treatment or vaccine.

The final rise in global unemployment for the year 2020 will depend largely on the measures adopted, warns the ILO, which considers it very likely that the impact of the pandemic on unemployment in the world will be significantly higher than the initial projection, published. on March 18, which was 25 million jobs lost.

(With AFP)

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  • Coronavirus
  • Employment and Work
  • Health and Medicine