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According to the ILO, the pandemic caused 400 million jobs to be lost worldwide

The outlook for the global labor market in the second half of 2020 is “highly uncertain” and the recovery forecast will not be enough for employment to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report on global employment expectations. According to the agency’s calculations, due to the slowdown in the economy generated by the different social distancing measures applied around the world, the equivalent of 400 million jobs were lost in the second quarter of the year..

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In its latest report, the United Nations agency said that the decrease in working hours worldwide is “significantly worse than previously estimated” in the first half of the year, with America being the region hardest hit.

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“According to recent ILO estimates, the loss of hours of work in the first half of 2020 has been greater than expected, highlighting the worsening situation in recent weeks, particularly in developing countries“Noted the report.

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“In the first quarter of the year, approximately 5.4% of working hours were lost worldwide (comparable to 155 million full-time jobs), compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. In the second quarter of 2020, it is expected that 14% of working hours (equivalent to 400 million full-time jobs) will be lost worldwide, and that the greatest losses will be registered in the Americas, at a rate of 18.3% ”, added the report.

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About 93% of global workers still live in countries affected by some form of labor restrictions, the report noted.

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The vast majority of workers worldwide, namely 93 per cent, continue to reside in countries that apply some form of workplace closure measure. This global proportion has remained relatively stable since mid-March, although the measures applied have been increasingly lax. Currently, the greatest number of restrictions that affect workers and workplaces occur in the Americas, ”the ILO explained.

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The factors determining loss of work hours vary substantially in all countries for which relevant data are available. In some countries, the reduction of working hours and the status of “employed but not working” worker (for example, employees in temporary leave) contributed greatly to the number of hours of work lost, while in others, the determining factor was the situation of unemployment and inactivity. These differences show that a too specific approach to unemployment does not adequately assess the incidence of the pandemic in labor markets.

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Likewise, the pandemic has had a “disproportionate and detrimental effect” on women workers, who are often employed in hard-hit sectors such as food and hospitality, retail and real estatehe added.

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For the fourth quarter, the ILO calculated that 4.9% of working hours, or 140 million jobs, will be lost. Under the pessimistic scenario of a possible second wave of the pandemic, this figure could rise to 11.9%, or 340 million jobs, he said.

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The calculations have revised the damage caused by the pandemic to our labor markets considerably upwards“, said Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, at a press conference in Geneva. “The figures reflect a deterioration in conditions, especially in developing countries. The region in which we see the greatest (loss) of all is America, ”he added.

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When asked if Brazil and other countries that are not imposing strict public health measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Ryder said: “Clearly, the undue delay in acting on the health side of the pandemic will lead to worse social outcomes. and economic ”.

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