COVID-19 and the world of work

Regional and country impact and policies

The latest regional and country research, assessments, guidelines and policy recommendations relating to COVID-19 and the world of work.
  1. Recovery and labour migration in the post-pandemic future

    17 December 2021

    Thematic background paper for the 14th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour

  2. COVID-19 and employment in the tourism sector in the Asia–Pacific region

    18 November 2021

    A brief from the ILO highlights COVID-19 impacts on tourism employment in Asia and the Pacific that have left the sector reeling from job losses, deterioration in work quality and shifts towards increased informality.

  3. Supporting migrant workers during the pandemic for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community

    18 August 2021

    Thematic background paper for the 13th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour

  4. Is public sector employment a haven in the COVID-19 jobs crisis?

    14 June 2021

    It looks as if job opportunities in the public sector have provided a respite from the shrinking private sector during the dark days of the COVID-19 crisis, at least for some women.

  5. COVID-19 and rising wage inequality: Trends and challenges in Thailand and Viet Nam

    27 January 2021

    This brief presents quantitative trends in wage inequality in Thailand and Viet Nam during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. Based on various measures, it highlights the rise of inequality as wages have been increasingly concentrated among the highest wage earners and the disproportionate impact of lower wages on informal workers, youth and workers with lower educational qualifications. It presents a number of policy measures including enhanced wage support and active labour market policies to counter these dynamics.

  6. What next for Asian garment production after COVID-19? The perspectives of industry stakeholders

    17 September 2020

    This report summarizes findings from a qualitative study conducted with a group of industry experts to explore the implications of COVID-19 for production systems and practices in Asia. The results provide an early and tentative picture of industry sentiment on questions related to the future of Asian garment production.

  7. Experiences of ASEAN migrant workers during COVID-19: Rights at work, migration and quarantine during the pandemic, and re-migration plans

    03 June 2020

    The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting labour migration throughout the ASEAN region and globally. In 2019 there were an estimated 10 million international migrants in ASEAN, of whom nearly 50 per cent were women. The ILO undertook a rapid assessment survey, interviewing ASEAN migrant workers from end-March to end-April 2020 about how COVID-19 has impacted them. This brief summarizes the responses of the 309 women and men migrant workers who participated in the survey.

  8. COVID-19 and the labour market in Viet Nam

    21 April 2020

  9. ILO 'Better Work' guidelines for factories in the garment sector

    02 April 2020