By Veronica Michel & Ian Walker In Honduras, as in other Latin American countries, increased labor incomes have been central to reducing poverty. However, many are still under-employed, so households have the potential to earn more. This calls for increased attention on ways to increase labor intensity, instead of focusing only on increasing the productivity…
Photo by Courtney Hall on Unsplash Authors: Mauro Testaverde and Gordon Betcherman The COVID-19 pandemic has affected labor markets everywhere. In some countries, like the US and Canada, unemployment skyrocketed to levels not seen in living memory. In others, including several in Europe, things have looked very different, with few layoffs and workers often remaining attached to their…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many young people around the globe have been working remotely, schools have moved to online platforms, and social distancing continues to be in effect. This means it’s essential that organizations maximize the use of social media as a platform to adapt to the crisis. Social media has been used by young people to raise awareness about coronavirus containment and suppression measures, to coordinate the logistics of relief efforts for people in isolation, and to raise funds for emergency workers.
Authors: KAVELL JOSEPH Original post The World Bank Group has been helping countries reinforce their health infrastructure and bolster economic recovery during the pandemic. The Bank’s health response addresses emergency containment and mitigation needs for the coronavirus (COVID-19), including strengthening countries’ health systems to treat severe cases and save lives. Many members of the Bank-supported…
Authors: KAVELL JOSEPH Many low- and middle-income countries can’t provide skills training for young entrepreneurs to adapt to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19). But youth themselves are playing an essential role in their communities by offering technological solutions to the problem. Here are two S4YE Youth Advisory Group (YAG) members who have risen…
Photo credit: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels Authors: Amanina Abdur Rahman, Achim Schmillen, and Alyssa Farha Jasmin The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a jobs crisis in developing countries in East Asia. The International Labour Organization estimates that in the second quarter of 2020 working hours across East Asia will decline by around 8.4 percent…
People take precautions in Mali against COVID-19 (coronavirus). Photo credit: Ousmnane Traore/World Bank Authors: Puja Vasudeva Dutta, Colin Andrews, Aude de Montesquiou, Timothy Clay, and Sarang Chaudhary This blog post is based on the forthcoming Partnership for Economic Inclusion Policy Note Series: Economic Inclusion for the Poorest & COVID-19: Adaptation and Early Priorities for Medium-…
Local farmers in Kenya. Photo: © Ujuzi Kilimo Solutions Authors:KAVELL JOSEPH Original post As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic unfolds, disruptions in domestic food supply chains and other shocks affecting food production have created food security risks in many countries. The latest estimates by the UN’s World Food Programme show that 265 million people could be…
Governments of developing countries should consider WFH as a crucial part of the new digital economy when they invest in broadband infrastructure. Photo credit: World Bank Authors: Maho Hatayama, Mariana Viollaz, and Hernan Winkler The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and implementation of social distancing policies around the world has raised the question of how many jobs…
A construction worker in Barcelona, Spain returns to work in April 2020, wearing a mask to be protected from COVID-19. Photo: © Daniel Ferrer Paez/Shutterstock Authors: Indhira Santos and Michael Weber After several weeks of lockdowns and strict social distancing, some countries are starting to open for business. This process, however, is bound to be…