“In some countries, Key industries lack laborbecause people are increasingly reluctantly According to Manuela Tomei, Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue at the International Labor Organization, participation in work is not valued by society as being right, sufficient, fair and rewarded with wages. higher and working conditions improved.ILO).
According to a new ILO report based on data from 90 countries, key workers are still are severely “underrated” and their contributions are not fully recognized.
Low pay, no protection
The study focused on essential workers in areas such as healthcare, retail, food systems, security, sanitation and transportation. The ILO findings show that during the COVID-19 crisis these key workers have to endure higher death rate than non-core workers, because of greater exposure to the virus.
They also continue to be over-representation among low-paid workersdefined as those earning less than two-thirds of the median salary.
Invest for the future
Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, Richard Samans, director of the ILO’s research division, stressed that investing in better wages and working conditions for key workers is key a matter of fairness and future proof in other global emergencies.
“This is chance to get a two-for-one refund: improving working conditions and mitigating the social justice gaps faced by many of these labor groups, but also enhancing the resilience of economies, their ability to cope with shock of any kind, whether it be a future pandemic, a natural disaster, or other.”
Key recommendations in the report include strengthen regulations in essential areas such as wages and safety in the workplace, as well as targeting investments in the health and food sectors and supporting small businesses.
A street vendor sells eggs in Diego-Suarez, Madagascar.
Risk of labor shortage
The ILO report shows a The average income gap between key and non-core workers is 26%.. Working conditions in essential jobs are also characterized by long and unpredictable hours, limited training opportunities and low coverage of social protection, including access to paid sick leave. less than.
Almost one in three key workers worldwide has a temporary contractwith negative impact on job security and benefits.
The ILO emphasizes that when poor working conditions for key workers exacerbate employee turnover and labor shortages, the provision of basic services is in jeopardy. This is true both in higher and lower income countries.
Lessons learned from COVID
Faced with the need to spur investment to secure decent jobs and enhance business continuity “in good times or bad”, the UN agency called on governments, users, Employers and workers’ organizations work together to ensure the delivery of key goods and services. “Like an insurance policy, Such a strategy will more than pay for itself when the next crisis hits,” the ILO said.
