COVID-19 and the world of work

Regional and country impact and policies

The latest regional and country research, assessments, guidelines and policy recommendations relating to COVID-19 and the world of work.
  1. Arab States Employment and Social Outlook - Trends 2024: Promoting social justice through a just transition

    20 February 2024

  2. Impact of multiple crises on Sri Lanka’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises

    07 November 2023

    This study set out to inform the labour market disruptions caused by the multiple crises do provide for an unprecedented opportunity for the Sri Lankan labour market to reset with a MSME business recovery model at centre stage.

  3. ILO Youth Country Briefs: Cross country review

    27 June 2023

    This analytical Brief reviews and compares the findings of the Briefs on the seven countries - Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda. It tracks the trends in youth labour markets, the impact of COVID-19 on youth employment, and the school-to-work transition across and its evolution in recent years. It identifies where youth labour market outcomes indicate recovery and where challenges remain in these countries.

  4. Jobs and global supply chains in South-East Asia

    07 June 2023

    South-East Asia has become a key player in global supply chains (GSCs) during recent decades, and the region’s participation in GSCs has had a profound impact on labour markets. The region has become increasingly dependent on GSCs for employment despite some short periods of sharp volatility and setbacks, including in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  5. Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2022: Rethinking sectoral strategies for a human-centred future of work (Summary)

    28 November 2022

    Labour markets are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis in Asia and the Pacific, but now face new challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions. The report gives the regional labour market context and makes a first-time assessment of regional sectoral estimates to highlight which sectors are growing as sources of jobs, which are shrinking and which harbour opportunities for “decent work”.

  6. Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2022: Rethinking sectoral strategies for a human-centred future of work

    28 November 2022

    Labour markets are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis in Asia and the Pacific, but now face new challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions. The report gives the regional labour market context and makes a first-time assessment of regional sectoral estimates to highlight which sectors are growing as sources of jobs, which are shrinking and which harbour opportunities for “decent work”.

  7. Youth not in employment, education or training in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and policy considerations

    07 November 2022

    This report, Youth not in employment, education or training in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and policy considerations, examines the pre-COVID-19 trends on youth NEET from 2010 to 2019 and the impact of the crisis. It concludes that far too many young people are not succeeding in their labour market transitions, young women particularly. As a region whose economic success hinges on maximizing employment outcomes, with production and services still largely labour intensive, promoting a smooth labour market transition for young people is critical.

  8. The labour market implications of Sri Lanka's multiple crises

    13 October 2022

    Trends and challenges in Sri Lanka's labour market from pre-pandemic through COVID-19 and up to the current crisis, followed by policy recommendations.

  9. A majority working in the shadows: A six-country opinion survey on informal labour in sub-Saharan Africa

    15 September 2022

    Most workers in sub-Saharan Africa are informally employed, which often leaves them without access to health care and social protection.

  10. World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Regional companion report for Asia and the Pacific

    30 August 2022

    This regional companion report is intended to complement the ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2020–22. It includes a section summarizing the status of social protection worldwide, followed by a section highlighting key social protection developments, challenges and priorities for this region from a life-cycle perspective.