Decline in working hours risks half of global workforce losing livelihoods: ILO

Global working hours declined in the first quarter of 2020 by an estimated 4.5 per cent (equivalent to approximately 130 million full-time jobs, assuming a 48-hour working week), compared to the pre-crisis situation (fourth quarter of 2019).

The continued sharp decline in working hours globally due to the Covid- 19 outbreak risks 1.6 billion workers, nearly half of the global workforce, of losing livelihoods in the informal economy globally, says the International Labour Organization (ILO).

In Bangladesh, young people will face higher rates of unemployment and are more vulnerable to losing their livelihoods.

According to the report, “ILO Monitor third edition: Covid-19 and the world of work”, the drop in working hours in the current (second) quarter of 2020 is expected to be significantly worse than previously estimated.

While the situation has worsened for all major regional groups, estimates indicate that the Americas (12.4 per cent) and Europe and Central Asia (11.8 per cent) will experience the greatest loss in working hours. Regarding income groups, lower-middle-income countries are expected to register the highest rate of hours lost, at 12.5 per cent, but the impact is comparable across countries with different levels of income.

The worst global crisis since the Second World War, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to severely affect public health and cause unprecedented disruptions to economies and labour markets, the report further read. 

Since the release of the second edition of the ILO Monitor on 7 April, global COVID-19 infections have more than doubled to reach nearly 2.6 million on 22 April 2020, while the number of deaths has more than tripled, approaching 180,000 worldwide.