Video: Impact of COVID-19 on Employment and Labour Market in the Kyrgyz Republic. Results of the Rapid Assessment

The video summarises the results of the rapid assessment of COVID-19 employment and labour market impacts in Kyrgyzstan to appraise the current and expected effects of this social, economic and employment crisis, and propose policy responses for efficient recovery.

News | 23 April 2021
The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic is being felt by societies and economies across the globe, including Kyrgyzstan, for more than a year. Intensifying and expanding in terms of its reach, it has significantly affected public health and created unprecedented shocks to labour markets. The massive economic disruption arising from the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the world’s workforce. The employment impacts of COVID-19 are deep, far-reaching and unprecedented. However, the shock to the labour market is not uniform - specific hard-hit sectors and some categories of workers who are particularly vulnerable are more affected than others.

Against this background, the rapid assessment of COVID-19 employment and labour market impacts was conducted in the Kyrgyz Republic to evaluate the current and expected effects of this social, economic and employment crisis. The rapid assessment aims to identify the main transmission mechanisms of the COVID-19 crisis on the Kyrgyz labour market, including the most affected sectors and groups of workers. This analysis informs an examination of the country’s policy response with a view to identify gaps and point to areas for priority action.

The video summarises the main observations of the Rapid Assessment Report, outlining the economic and labour market situation in Kyrgyzstan before the COVID-19 pandemic, examining early impacts and projecting further potential consequences for the particular vulnerable sectors and groups of workers. It also summarises the current policy response and provides recommendations for accelerated recovery.