Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Global recovery depends on equal access to vaccines, ILO says

For every 14 people fully vaccinated in the second quarter of 2021, one full-time equivalent job was added to the global labour market, substantially boosting the recovery.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for developed and developing nations to speed up their vaccinations to achieve a global recovery of the labour market.

The loss of working hours in 2021 because of the pandemic will be significantly higher than previously estimated, according to ILO.

It is now projectingthat global hours worked last year will be 4.3% below pre-pandemic levels (the fourth quarter of 2019), the equivalent of 125 million full-time jobs.

This represents a dramatic revision of its June projection of 3.5% or 100 million full-time jobs.

The UN agency warns that without concrete financial and technical support, a "great divergence" in employment recovery trends between rich and poor countries will persist.

"We're looking at a global economy which looks like it's bouncing back with 5% growth or more. And yet, labour markets are not getting back to where they were, and the deficit is very substantial," said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

"We're seeing evidence of what we call a great divergence. The rich world is doing relatively well, but regrettably, the developing and emerging countries really are going nowhere. And this should be a matter of the greatest concern to policymakers," Ryder added.

In the third quarter of 2021, total hours worked in high-income countries were 3.6% lower than in the fourth quarter of 2019.

By contrast, the gap in low-income countries stood at 5.7%, and in lower-middle-income countries, at 7.3%.

Europe and Central Asia experienced the smallest loss of hours worked, compared to pre-pandemic levels (2.5%), followed by Asia and the Pacific at 4.6%. Africa, the Americas and the Arab States showed declines of 5.6, 5.4 and 6.5% respectively.

Vaccines and fiscal stimulus crucial to recovery


This divergence is largely driven by the major differences in the roll-out of vaccinations and fiscal stimulus packages.

For every 14 persons fully vaccinated in the second quarter of 2021, one full-time equivalent job was added to the global labour market, according to estimates. This substantially boosted the recovery.

In the absence of vaccines, losses in hours worked would have stood at 6.0% in the second quarter of 2021, rather than the 4.8% actually recorded.

But the highly uneven roll-out of vaccinations means that the positive effect was largest in high-income countries, negligible in lower-middle-income countries and almost zero in low-income countries.

ILO believes these imbalances could be rapidly addressed through global solidarity and more equitable access to vaccines.

Additionally, the fiscal stimulus gap remains largely unaddressed, with around 86% of global stimulus measures being concentrated in high-income countries.

Productivity gap and greater disparities


The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on productivity, workers and enterprises has led to greater disparities.

The productivity gap between rich and poor countries is projected to widen to the highest record since 2005.

"The current trajectory of labour markets is of a stalled recovery, with major downside risks appearing, and a great divergence between developed and developing economies," noted Ryder.

"Dramatically, unequal vaccine distribution and fiscal capacities are driving these trends and both need to be addressed urgently."

Last June, ILO launched a global call to action for a human-centred COVID-19 recovery, with a roadmap that ensures countries that their economic and social recovery from the crisis will be fully inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

"It is time to implement this roadmap, which is fully aligned with and supports the UN's Common Agenda and its Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection," Ryder went on.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×