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. Supporting decent work and the transition towards formalization through technology-enhanced labour inspection

    21 October 2021

  3. Impact of COVID-19 on nexus between climate change and labour migration in selected South Asian countries: An exploratory study

    14 October 2021

    Climate change has been identified as the single greatest risk for achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals. In South Asia, the world of work can be affected by various aspects of climate change including extreme heat, flooding or drought, or that can cause a rise in water-borne diseases, dengue or malaria, or bring pests that damage crops, among other disasters. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the risks to the world of work have been magnified in both rural and urban areas, particularly in the informal economy.

  4. 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

  5. COVID-19: Impact on migrant workers and country response in Cambodia

    07 August 2020

    Country brief prepared by the ILO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers, and country responses.

  6. COVID-19: Impact on migrant workers and country response in Thailand

    03 July 2020

    Country brief prepared by the ILO’s Country Office for Thailand on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers, and country's responses.

  7. India - Rapid assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on employment

    16 June 2020

    This rapid assessment considers the likely impact of the COVID crisis on enterprises and livelihoods and incomes of workers – regular and non-regular, protected and unprotected. It checks the policy responses to the economic crisis and examines initiatives to protect both enterprises and workers, especially the most vulnerable.

  8. 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.

  9. COVID-19: Impact on migrant workers and country response in Malaysia

    08 May 2020

    Country brief prepared by the ILO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers, and country responses.