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The Value of Essential Work:World employment and social outlook 2023
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URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/28682
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the extent to which societies need key workers – in both good times and bad – but also how undervalued most key jobs are At the end of March 2020, 80 per cent of the world’s population lived in countries with required workplace closures. But among the hushed streets of cities and towns throughout the world, key workers left the safety of their homes to go to work. These workers produced, distributed and sold food, cleaned streets and buses to minimize the spread of the pandemic, ensured public safety, transported essential goods and workers, and cared for and healed the ill. These are the “key workers”. The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the extent to which societies need key workers – in both good times and bad – but also how undervalued most key jobs are, raising concerns about the sustainability of these essential activities, especially given the likelihood of future shocks. This report calls for a revaluation of the work of key workers and greater investment in key sectors in order to more fully reflect their economic and social contributions. This is one of the most important public policy lessons to be drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic, as every country has an inherent interest in strengthening its resilience to major disruptions and crises irrespective of their nature
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Other
Date
2023
Language
ISBN
978-92-2-036650-9
978-92-2-036651-6
978-92-2-036651-6
Identifiers
10.54394/OQVF7543