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The world of work has been profoundly affected by the pandemic threatening livelihoods and the wellbeing of millions.   sets out the world of work response to the COVID-19 crisis on how to build a human-centred future of work.

The workplace should be safe for everyone, everywhere. The Convention No. 190 aims to end all forms of violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence. The Convention focuses on restoring dignity and respect for all. Ask your governments to #RatifyC190.

Iman comes from a family of 11 in the village of Bani Quis in the north-western Yemeni governorate of Hajjah. Iman dropped out of school at an early age because she lacked the means to reach her school some six kilometres away from her village. Now 18 and only semi-literate, she wishes she had had the chance to learn at school. Having decided to pursue other learning options to obtain practical vocational skills, Iman joined an apprenticeship implemented by an partnership. In addition to theoretical instruction, Iman gained sewing skills from the practical training.

: Tonle Sap Lake in northeast Cambodia is one of the most productive inland fishing waters in the world, due to flooding and monsoon. Fisheries are the backbone of country’s economy, with Tonle Sap contributing over half of the country’s fish production. Yet the lake’s 4.8 million residents are some of the poorest in Asia. Many depend heavily on fish and rice for their livelihoods and have to send their children to work rather than school, in order to survive. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working with the government and partners to get children back to school.

Producers: Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo, Chann Tet, Sophana Sim, Panos Pictures.
Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO.
Photo ©FAO/Tang Chhin Sothy.

’s projections highlight the danger of a COVID-19 labour market legacy of increased geographic and demographic inequality, rising poverty and fewer decent jobs.

The new reality, due to the pandemic, has left many mothers scrambling. With schools and day-cares closed, many were forced to leave their jobs or cut the hours they worked. New estimates confirm the outsized impact on working mothers, and on the economy. Within the world of work, women with young children have been among the biggest casualties of the economic lockdowns. Three countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain—illustrate the varied impact of the pandemic on workers.

Family businesses employ 60% of the world’s workforce and contribute over 70% of global GDP. And collectively they have immense financial resources to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals. UNCTAD’s new Family Businesses for Sustainable Development initiative harnesses their potential to be a force for good and help build a transformative and sustainable future. 

Jordanian Omar Abu Noa’aj has struggled to find work for years due to his physical disability. Last year, an ILO employment centre helped him secure his first formal job at a garment factory, giving him a new sense of independence and purpose. A year on since his employment, Abu Noa’aj says his life has been transformed. “Before I started working, I used to see people going to work in the morning and say: ‘What a great feeling that must be.’ Now, I know what this feeling is like,” Abu Noa’aj said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of the world of work, from the risk of transmission in the workplace to occupational safety and health (OSH) risks due to the measures used to mitigate the spread of the virus. Shifts to new forms of working arrangements, such as teleworking, also posed potential risks, including psychosocial risks and violence. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2021 examines how the current crisis demonstrates the importance of strengthening these OSH systems, including occupational health services, at both the national and undertaking level.

After the COVID-19 outbreak, demand grew considerably. The government deemed delivery work as essential, next to key activities such as public health and transportation, among others. features the challenges faced by digital platform workers, who have been contributing greatly during this crisis. It sounds nice to take part in essential work, but decent work would be better. Treated by the companies as independent contractors, most of us have no social protection benefits, such as pension coverage, health, or insurance plans.

It has been an immensely challenging year for governments, which have been scrambling to contain the spread of the virus while also managing the economic fallout, supporting workers, and ensuring continuity of schooling for children. At the same time, the climate crisis has not gone away, nor has the soaring gap between rich and poor. In fact, these existing challenges have been magnified by the pandemic. Despite the gloom, there’s some good news; with the right choices, governments can address all of these crises at once, by making the transition to low-carbon, green economies. The  estimates that the move to low-carbon, greener economies has the potential to create 60 million jobs by 2030.

The road transport industry has been badly hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Truck drivers are keeping global freight chains moving but have found themselves the victims of COVID-19 restrictions. Urgent action by governments, social partners and road transport supply chain parties is critical, to address the industry’s decent work and liquidity concerns.

Autism is a lifelong neurological condition that manifests during early childhood, irrespective of gender, race, or socio-economic status. Appropriate support, accommodation and acceptance allow those on the Spectrum to enjoy full participation in society. The breakdown of support systems due to COVID-19 exacerbated the obstacles that persons with autism face. We must ensure that these disruptions do not result in rollbacks of the rights of persons with autism, including the right to work. On World Autism Awareness Day we celebrate diversity and promote the rights of persons with autism.

The ‘Barefoot story’ is an engrossing tale: women battling the odds to better themselves in order to help their families and their communities by way of solar energy. The first  was established in India in 1972 to train illiterate or semi-illiterate women, and to provide them with the basic skills to be solution-providers in their rural communities. The initiative has now spread to ninety-three countries around the world. The ‘Barefoot’ Solar engineers of Sierra Leone, supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization () are part of it.

Fifty countries have shown their commitment to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery by ratifying the . The ratifications have met an initial target set by the , which urges governments to take action on forced labour. Sudan became the fiftieth country to ratify.