Future of work
A curated resource of recent research on trends shaping Canada's labour market.
The ILO has updated their estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work. As of April 1, 2020, lockdown measures across the world have affected 2.7 billion workers, representing 81% of the world’s workforce. The ILO estimates that global working hours in the second quarter of 2020 will decrease by 6.7% relative to the first quarter, equivalent to 195 million full-time workers.
Furthermore, the shock to labour markets is having a larger impact on employment in specific sectors such as accommodation, food services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, real estate and other business activities. These sectors comprise almost 38% of the global workforce.
Workers in developing countries, the report notes, are particularly at risk. These countries tend to have lower levels of social protection and higher levels of informal employment. Informal workers have a high risk both of being exposed to the virus and of falling deeper into poverty due to lockdown measures. India has the highest share of informal workers, at almost 90%. Stringent lockdown measures have greatly affected these workers.