Daily Times

Fewer women will regain jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic during the recovery period than men, according to a new study released by the UN’s International LabourOrganisation (ILO).

‘In Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the Covid-19 Recovery,’ the ILO highlights that between 2019 and 2020, women’s employment declined by 4.2 percent globally, representing 54 million jobs, while men suffered a three percent decline, or 60 million jobs. This means that there will be 13 million fewer women in employment this year compared to 2019, but the number of men in work will likely recover to levels seen two years ago.

This means that only 43 percent of the world’s working-age women will be employed in 2021, compared to 69 percent of their male counterparts. The ILO paper suggests that women have seen disproportionate job and income losses because they are over-represented in the sectors hit hardest by lockdowns, such as accommodation, food services and manufacturing.

Not all regions have been affected in the same way. For example, the study revealed that women’s employment was hit hardest in the Americas, falling by more than nine per cent.

This was followed by the Arab States at just over four percent, then Asia-Pacific at 3.8 percent, Europe at 2.5 percent and Central Asia at 1.9 percent. In Africa, men’s employment dropped by just 0.1 percent between 2019 and 2020, while women’s employment decreased by 1.9 percent.