Latest editorial
A poster (right) specifying social distancing requirements in a Covid secure office workplace in London
FALLOUT from the Covid-19 pandemic has created an “unparalleled” labour market crisis that will last years, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports.
Its World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2021 study, published on Wednesday, says that the crisis-induced “jobs gap” will reach 75 million in 2021 and that global unemployment will be 205 million in 2022, nearly 20 million above pre-pandemic levels.
The pandemic has also made pre-existing inequalities worse by hitting vulnerable workers harder, the report finds. The widespread lack of social protection — for example among the world’s two billion insecure workers — means that pandemic-related work disruptions have had catastrophic consequences for family incomes and livelihoods.
Fertiliser chaos triggered by Gulf conflict could send prices soaring and leave millions facing devastating hunger, writes DYLAN MURPHY
Women’s fight against violence and legal erosion is central to building a democratic and just Iraq, says Dr SALMA SAADAWI
