July 01, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

The International Labor Organization (ILO) revealed a report to indicate a warning sign to emphasize the labor market is facing a tremendous challenge to recover to a pre-pandemic situation.

Based on the fifth edition of ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work, the future recovery plan for global job market is incomplete and unpredictable. 

The report indicated that the global working hour dropped 14 percent in the second quarter of 2020. The Global working hour decreases owing to the restriction of work closure of COVID-19. Currently, the United States confronts the most severe situation because of this pandemic. Therefore, the ranking of dropping working hours is America (18.3%), Europe and Central Asia (13.9%), Asia and the Pacific (13.5 %), Arab States (13.2 %), and Africa (12.1 %).

Basically, around 93% worldwide workers are still living in nations with work closure restriction, especially workers in the United States experiencing the huge amount of working limitations. 
Besides the working hours, the ILO mentioned women workers had been influenced by this pandemic. This might cause the slow action of gender equality to pause and also aggravate the situation of gender inequality.

Some countries already have various policies and options to confront this unpredictable situation of COVID-19. They have their steps and plans to manage this situation. However, ILO emphasized some issues that governments might face while they are dealing with this pandemic, such as finding the right balance with health, social, economic, the right policy to ensure the sustainable labor market, and the complete policy to protect the vulnerable.