Session recordings available here.The crisis has affected many workers, both in the formal and even more in the informal economy. Many of those who have lost formal jobs find themselves in dire situations if they cannot count on unemployment benefits that would allow them to feed their families while looking for another job. In addition, the crisis has exposed wide gaps in income security for workers in case of loss of jobs and livelihoods for those in the informal economy.
Many governments have introduced measures to provide income security for workers whose jobs have been affected by the crisis, by relying on, and further expanding existing unemployment protection schemes if available, or, where this was not possible, by adopting emergency measures. Moving forward, countries need to transition from emergency measures to more sustainable mechanisms, establishing or strengthening rights-based unemployment protection schemes, ensuring policy coordination and coherence between social protection and employment policies. Unemployment insurance schemes have also shown their limitations in covering workers in the informal economy, those among the hardest hit by the crisis.
This session highlighted experiences of countries in providing income support to workers affected by the crisis, including those in the informal economy. Panellists discussed what is needed to build back better and strengthen unemployment protection in the future, in line with international standards and human rights.
