UN: Coronavirus threatens livelihoods of more than 1.5 billion workers

The International Labor Organization says that the lives of about 1.6 billion people worldwide have been put at risk by the coronavirus pandemic. About 305 million full-time jobs have been lost worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the livelihoods of an estimated 1.6 billion working men and women around the world at risk. According to the International Labor Organization, an affiliate of the United Nations, about two billion people were affected in the first month of the epidemic.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday (April 29) that daily wage workers, especially those deprived of unemployment and health insurance, are the first victims of the spread of the epidemic.

These disadvantaged groups, deprived of stable jobs and steady incomes, have lost up to 60 percent of their income due to COVID-19. For these women and men, unemployment means losing food, livelihood, life, and future.

Countless companies and enterprises around the world are on the verge of collapse. Most small and medium-sized enterprises have no savings and cannot access bank credit. If they do not receive help as soon as possible, they will disappear from existence, dragging countless people into poverty and destitution.

According to the International Labor Organization, the situation has worsened day by day in recent weeks. The number of working hours has decreased by about ten and a half percent compared to the pre-corona crisis period. As a result, about 305 million full-time jobs have been lost worldwide.

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across most countries, most businesses related to daily life have either closed or are on a semi-closed status. In the United States, European countries, and Central Asia, widespread unemployment awaits workers and wage earners.

According to estimates by the International Labor Organization, about 3.3 billion people around the world are working in various occupations.

Source: DW