More than half of the 3.3 billion workers worldwide are at risk of losing their livelihoods in the second quarter due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Labor Organization (ILO) alerted on Wednesday. April 29. 

Presenting a new study on the economic consequences of containment linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation's director general, Guy Ryder, told the media that it was to be expected to have a "huge impact on poverty. ". 

Three-quarters of informal workers, or 1.6 billion people worldwide, are now facing "the immediate danger of their livelihoods being wiped out," warns the ILO, adding that almost all of them work in less than 10 employees. 

While these people are among the most vulnerable on the job market, "we must all think of the human suffering behind this figure," noted Guy Ryder, adding that these forecasts concern the second quarter.

"If we don't help them now, they will perish" 

In the first month of the crisis alone, the income of informal workers fell by 60% worldwide. This translates into a fall of 81% in Africa and the Americas, 21.6% in Asia-Pacific and 70% in Europe and Central Asia. 

Without alternative sources of income, these workers and their families will no longer have a livelihood. 

When employers and the self-employed are added up, some 436 million businesses in the most affected sectors worldwide are currently facing high risks of serious disruption. More than half of them - some 232 million - are found in the wholesale and retail trade, currently one of the most affected sectors worldwide. 

"Millions of businesses around the world are struggling to keep their heads above water. They have no savings or no access to credit. Yet that is the true face of the working world. we are not helping them right now, they will simply perish, "noted Guy Ryder in a press release.

Working hours sharply down in the second quarter

The share of workers living in countries where workplaces are recommended or required, says the report has fallen from 81% to 68% in the past two weeks, largely due to the lifting of closings in China . 

According to ILO estimates, working hours worldwide fell in the first quarter by around 4.5% compared to the fourth quarter 2019, equivalent to around 130 million full-time jobs on the basis with a weekly duration of 48 hours. 

In the second quarter, the situation is expected to worsen further due to the extension and extension of the containment measures. 

Over this period, the ILO estimates that total working hours worldwide should be down 10.5% compared to that of the quarter preceding the crisis. This equates to 305 million full-time jobs, which represents a clear deterioration from the previous estimate published two weeks ago of 195 million. 

If the situation has worsened for all regions, estimates indicate that the Americas (- 12.4%), Europe and Central Asia (- 11.8% for both regions) will experience the largest loss of working hours during this second quarter. 

According to the ILO, the sectors most affected by the economic paralysis are accommodation and food services, industry, wholesale and retail trade, real estate and commercial activities.

With AFP

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