Assignment

On
“Covid 19 and it’s impacts on employment-International Perspective”

Course Title: Strategic HRM

Course Code: HRM-612

Submitted To:
Farhad Hossain
Senior Lecturer
Department of Business Administration
Leading University

Submitted By:
Aklima Yeasmin
ID: 2011017037
Section: B
Program: MBA
Department of Business Administration

Date of Submission: 19.09.2020

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The success and final outcome of this assignment required a lot of guidance and
assistance from many people and I extremely fortunate to have got this all along
the completion of my assignment work. Whqtever I have done is only due to such
guidance and assistance and I would not forget to thank them. I respect and thank
Senior Lecturer Farhad Hossain giving opportunity to do this assignment work and
providing me all support and guidance which made me complete the assignment
on time,I extremly gratful to his for providing such a nice support and guidance.

I would like to express my gratitude to Senior Lecturer Farhad Hossain for support
and willingness to spend some time with me.

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 Table of Contents

Topic Page
1.Introduction 4-5

1.1 Objectives of the study 5

1.3Methodology 5
1.1Limitation 5
2. Overview of COVID-19 it’s impacts on employment- 6-13
International Perspective.

2.1 COVID-19 6
2.2 COVID-19: Impact on Employment and Labor 7
2.3 Estimating the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work 8
2.4 All areas of world and all workers affected 9
2.5 How the Coronavirus affects garment workers in supply chains 10
2.6 COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: Assessing jobs at risk and the impact 13
on people and places
2.7 The lockdown is already having a major impact on jobs 13
3. FINDINGS 14

4. CONCULATION 15

REFERENCES 16

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1.Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute

respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in December 2019 in
Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has resulted in an ongoing pandemic. Employment affected by
COVID-19. Underemployment is also expected to increase on a large scale. As witnessed in
previous crises, the shock to labor demand is likely to translate into significant downward
adjustments to wages and working hours. While self-employment does not typically react to
economic downturns, it acts as a “default” option for survival or maintaining income - often in
the informal economy. For this reason, informal employment tends to increase during crises.
However, the current limitations on the movement of people and goods may restrict this type of
coping mechanism. Initial ILO estimates point to a significant rise in unemployment and
underemployment in the wake of the virus. Based on different scenarios for the impact of
COVID-19 on global GDP growth (see Annex I), preliminary ILO estimates indicate a rise in
global unemployment of between 5.3 million (“low” scenario) and 24.7 million (“high” scenario)
from a base level of 188 million in 2019. The “mid” scenario suggests an increase of 13 million
(7.4 million in high-income countries). Though these estimates remain highly uncertain, all
figures indicate a substantial rise in global unemployment. For comparison, the global financial
crisis of 2008-9 increased unemployment by 22 million.

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1.2 Objectives of the study
The general objective of this study is to make a clear analysis of COVID-19 and it’s impacts on
employment-International Perspective.There are some spesific objectives are given bellow:

 To know COVID-19

 To know it’s impacts on employment in the world.

 To know employment situation during COVID-19

 To know employees income, life style, problems and daily life style etc during the
pandemic.

1.3 Methodology
This study is mainly based on secondary data. Secondary data and information have been
gathered from Books, Research paper, Article, Internet browsing etc. primary data also have
collected through personal observation and other respected persons opinion.

1.4 Limitation

COVID-19 and it’s impacts on employment-International Perspective is a vast area of studying.

To identify the impect on employment much longer time is needed. It is not possible to collect
whole data and information within a short time for study. Time limitation is one of the main
reasons so for that more detailed study was not possible.

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2. Overview of COVID-19 it’s impacts on employment-International
Perspective.

2.1 COVID19

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the

coronavirus pandemic .The virus is spread
primarily via small droplets from coughing,
sneezing, and talking. The droplets are usually not
airborne; however, those standing in close
proximity may inhale them and become infected.
People may also become infected by touching a
contaminated surface and then touching their face.
The transmission may also occur through aerosols
that can stay suspended in the air for longer periods
of time in enclosed spaces. It is most contagious
during the first three days after the onset of
symptoms, although spread is possible before symptoms appear, and from people who are
asymptomatic.

Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties,
and loss of smell. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress
syndrome. The incubation period is typically around five days but may range from two to 14
days. There are several vaccine candidates in development, although none have completed
clinical trials to prove their safety and efficacy. There is no known specific antiviral medication,
so primary treatment is currently symptomatic.

Recommended preventive measures include hand washing, covering mouth when coughing,
social distancing, wearing a face mask in public, disinfecting surfaces, ventilating and air-
filtering, and monitoring and self-isolation for people who suspect they may be infected.
Authorities worldwide have responded by implementing travel restrictions, lockdowns,
workplace hazard controls, and facility closures to slow the spread of the disease. Many places
have also worked to increase testing capacity and trace contacts of the infected.

The pandemic has caused global social and economic disruption, including the largest global
recession since the Great Depression. According to estimations, up to 100 million people have
fallen into extreme poverty and global famines are affecting 130 million people. It has led to the
postponement or cancellation of sporting, religious, political, and cultural events, widespread
supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying, and decreased emissions of pollutants and
greenhouse gases. Educational institutions have been partially or fully closed, with many
reverting to online schooling. Misinformation about the virus has circulated through social media
and mass media. There have been incidents of xenophobia and discrimination against Chinese
people and against those perceived as being Chinese or as being from areas with high infection
rates.

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2.2 COVID-19: Impact on Employment and Labor
The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic is dealing a severe blow to state economies,
businesses and workers. First and foremost, states are strengthening their health care capacity in
the event that demand for medical services surge. Ensuring there are enough licensed health care
professionals is a key component in this preparation.

States are also restricting access to in-dining

restaurants, theaters, concert halls, some retail stores
and other non-essential businesses where large
groups of people risk coming into close contact with
one another. Additionally, public health officials and
experts have warned Americans to stay home as
much as possible and avoid doing anything that
requires close contact with others. Many other
businesses have voluntarily closed to protect their
employees and the public as a whole. Perhaps the
most visible closure has been the nearly universal
shutdown of the professional sports industry. Those
exposed to the virus are being advised to self-
quarantine for at least 14 days presenting financial
challenges for workers without paid sick leave.

These unprecedented challenges are having economic ripple effects across the country as
thousands of employees unexpectedly find themselves out of work with the potential for
significant increases in unemployment.

Occupational Licensing During Public Emergencies

COVID-19 presents an unprecedented crisis for states, requiring swift action on many issues,
including the process for licensing essential workers. Temporary suspension of occupational
licensing laws in emergency situations is a common approach states take to help manage short-
term crises. States have experience in adopting emergency licensing processes, most often in
response to natural disasters and their aftermath. Typically, states will lift licensing restrictions
on aid workers, including those providing health care, infrastructure and other services critical to
disaster recovery. To respond to COVID-19, states are also exploring the temporary suspension
of licensure requirements for volunteers and aid workers. See NCSL's Occupational Licensing
During Public Emergencies webpage for more details.

Paid Sick Leave

COVID-19 is causing very high numbers of workers to take sick leave. Many workers are
not paid when they get sick. Currently, 12 states and Washington D.C. require employers to
provide paid sick leave benefits. NCSL's paid sick leave webpage provides details on each state's
program.

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Teleworking

The COVID-19 outbreak is rapidly changing the workplace. As the race to containment
continues, millions of peoples are moving their work spaces to their homes as
states ask employers to offer flexible work arrangements, such as teleworking, and develop plans
to ensure continuity in government. See NCSL's COVID-19: Teleworking webpage for more
specific and state examples.

2.3 Estimating the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work

The ILO actively maintains a series of

econometric models that are used to
produce estimates of labor market
indicators in the countries and years for
which country-reported data are
unavailable. The purpose of estimating
labor market indicators for countries with
missing data is to obtain a balanced panel
data set so that every year, regional and
global aggregates with consistent country
coverage can be computed.

These allow the ILO to analyze global and regional estimates of key labor market indicators and
related trends. Based on the available analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on economic growth
(GDP), a number of scenarios can be investigated to obtain a plausible range for the (un)
employment impact of the virus. The economic estimates used in the ILO’s modeling of the
impact on the labor market draw from McKibbin and Fernando (2020)12 who implement a range
of supply and demand shocks in a global hybrid DSGE/CGE model, with the assumption that
during the course of the year all countries will suffer from the pandemic.13 This study proposes
three potential scenarios based on the strength of the effects of the virus (low, mid and high).
Using these three scenarios results in three sets of unemployment estimates:

• Low” scenario where GDP growth drops by around 2 per cent: Global unemployment would
increase by 5.3 million, with an uncertainty of 3.5 to 7 million.

• “Mid” scenario where GDP growth drop by 4 per cent: Global unemployment would increase
by 13 million (7.4 million in high-income countries), with an uncertainty of 7.7 to 18.3 million.

• “High” scenario where COVID-19 has serious disruptive effects, reducing GDP growth by
around 8 per cent: Global unemployment would increase by 24.7 million, with an uncertainty
ranging from 13 million to 36 million.

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2.4 All areas of world and all workers affected
“No matter where in the world or in which sector, the crisis is having a dramatic impact on the
world’s workforce”, ILO said in its latest report. “Policy responses need to focus on providing
immediate relief to workers and enterprises in order to protect livelihoods and economically
viable businesses, particularly in hard-hit sectors and developing countries.”

An additional concern is the fact that in low and middle-income countries, the worst-hit
industries and services have a high proportion of low-wage workers in informal employment,
with limited access to health services and State welfare safety nets.

“Without appropriate policy measures, workers face a high risk of falling into poverty and will
experience greater challenges in regaining their livelihoods during the recovery period”, ILO
said in its latest report on the situation.

It underscored that around two billion people work informally, most of them in emerging and
developing countries, and that “tens of millions” of informal workers have already been affected
by COVID-19.

In urban areas, moreover, these workers also tend to work in economic sectors that “not only
carry a high risk of virus infection but are also directly impacted by lockdown measures”: waste
recyclers, street vendors and food servers, construction workers, transport workers and domestic
workers.

Highlighting the impacts already being felt in India, ILO pointed out that with its share of almost
90 per cent of people working in the informal economy, about

400 million workers in the vulnerable sector now face falling greater impoverishment.

Current lockdown measures there have impacted these workers significantly, forcing many of
them to return to rural areas, ILO explained, adding that Brazil and Nigeria had a similar level of
informal employment as India, and faced the same risks.

Agriculture yet to feel worst effects

Although the economic impact has not yet been felt in agriculture, the largest sector in most of
developing countries, risks of food insecurity are now “emerging”, ILO said.

This is owing to containment measures, including border closures. “Over time, workers in this
sector may be increasingly impacted, particularly if the virus spreads further into rural areas,” it
explained.

Given the fast-evolving nature of the situation - described by ILO as the most severe crisis since
the Second World War, in common with UN Secretary-General António Guterres – the agency
underscored its uncertainty about the longer-term impacts. Much depends on the action taken by

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Governments to soften the blow by ensuring the conditions for a prompt, job-rich recovery once
the pandemic is under control, Mr. Ryder said.

Vulnerable

“While millions of workers are vulnerable to income loss and layoffs . The impact on income-
generating activities is especially harsh for unprotected workers and the most vulnerable groups
in the informal economy,” the ILO added.

Among those most affected by the current crisis are the 136 million healthcare workers who are
at risk of catching Covid-19. The organization also singled out workers in areas such as
transport, agriculture and essential public services as being particularly vulnerable to the
coronavirus.

In addition, the ILO says sectors most at risk from loss of revenues include accommodation and
food services, manufacturing, retail, and business and administrative activities.

2.5 How the Coronavirus affects garment workers in supply chains

This blog aims to collect daily information about

how the new Coronavirus COVID-19 is
influencing garment workers' rights in supply
chains around the world. It will be updated as
new information comes in from media and the
Clean Clothes Campaign global network.
Information is posted as it comes in from the
network and cannot always be double-checked.

12 September 2020

Bangladesh: Media report that workers'

representatives met with the owners of Dragon
Sweater. After negotiations with the factory owners broke down, hundreds of workers took to the
streets, stopping at the National Press Club as well as the Labour Ministry. Although the police
came to the scene, there were no confrontations this time.

Media report that Bangladesh's garment exporters and economists are cautiously optimistic about
the positive growth of export earnings in the coming months, as Bangladesh is yet to overcome
the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "No doubt the increase in export earnings in
the last two months was a positive development but we are still in negative growth", Ahsan H
Mansur, from Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, said. Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, former
vice-president of the BGMEA, warned that export earnings are likely to fall in September and
October compared to July and August, as buyers placed 20% less orders than last year. Overall,

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buyers are placing orders at slow rates and decreased prices. According to BKMEA's, it seems
unlikely that the situation will improve in the next three to four months.

Cambodia: Media report that thousands of workers in Cambodia took to the streets this week,
demanding unpaid wages and benefits. As previously reported, over 4000 workers from Y&W
Garments in Dangkao district protested for better working conditions. Among other demands,
workers demanded time off over the Pchum Ben holidays next week. According to local
authorities, the protest ended as both sides reached an agreement and workers agreed to return to
work. The article further reports that, on 9 September, almost 900 workers from Hong Sen
Textile protested because their employers ran away after suspending operations without paying
them. Nop Sokha, who has worked at the factory for seven years, said the factory owed each
worker between $200 and $250. Workers have repeatedly tried to contact the factory owner but
calls remain unanswered. Yesterday, about 250 workers from Sepia Garment in Pur Senchey
district protested outside the Labour Ministry. Workers said that the factory owner ran away and
owed workers two months of wages. Earlier in the week, over 2000 workers from Hung Wah
Garment, also in Pur Senchey district, went on strike over grievances related to severance pay.
After the strike, Chin Leakhena, workers' representative, received a warning letter from the
Labour Ministry saying that she had organised an illegal strike. Ath Thorn, president of
the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) said that factories are continuing to suspend their
operations and to close down, leaving workers in uncertainty.

Media report that the Labour Ministry upheld the decision taken by Pactics garment factory
management to fire a union leader and union activist in June, saying that the dismissals were
legal. The provincial department had also ruled on 30 June that the factory's termination of
workers was fair, but union members disagreed, filing a complaint to the Labour Ministry in
August. Khun Tharo, from Central, said it was unfortunate that the Labor Minister agreed with
the decision made at the provincial level.

Media report that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) in
Geneva has called on the Cambodian government to immediately release the 12 activists who are
currently being held on incitement charges and to end its intimidation of civil society
organizations. The statement reports that several people have received threatening phone calls,
including death threats, if they don’t end their activism, while numerous rights campaigners are
in hiding for fear of arrest. "We call on the Government to immediately and unconditionally
release those detained for their exercise of these rights, and to bring an end to the intimidation of
civil society actors. We call on the security forces to stop resorting to unnecessary and excessive
force and intimidation against those engaged in peaceful protests", UNOHCHR wrote. Despite
this call, another article reports that Cambodia has arrested yet another rights activist for
"incitement". Sopheak's arrest marks at least 10 activists arrested over the past month amid a
series of small street protests, most in support of union leader Rong Chhun.

Nepal: Media report that the government of Nepal has announced that it will make arrangements
to help undocumented workers return home from the COVID-19 hit countries like Malaysia and
Gulf states. "The government will ensure that all Nepali migrant workers, be it documented or
undocumented, get the support to return home. The Nepal government will bear the repatriation
expenses of the workers", Rameshwar Ray Yadav, Labour, Employment and Social Security

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Minister, said. The repatriation cost of undocumented Nepali migrant workers will be covered by
the COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Treatment Fund.

Philippines: Partido Manggagawa (PM) reports that 15 garment workers have been allowed to
return to work at First Glory, in the Mactan Economic Zone, after spending five months on
forced leave. The 15 garment workers were asked by the company to return to work just
moments after filling a case at the Philippines' National Labour Relations Commission (NLRC).

Thailand: Media report that the government of Thailand is planning to temporarily turn border
patrol police camps into COVID-19 quarantine centres in order to accommodate migrant workers
who have been permitted to work in Thailand. This measure aims to help lower the costs of
COVID-19 quarantining for migrant workers' employers while ensuring
high quarantine standards.

Pakistan: According to reports from the media and CCC network, Pakistan Institute of Labour
Education and Research (PILER) held a seminar on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) on
the occasion of 8th anniversary of Baldia Factory Fire incident yesterday at Karachi Press
Club. Here, trade union leaders, workers' representatives and Sindh Health Department officials
reiterated the need to take measures that will prevent industrial accidents, expressing that, eight
years on, no lessons have been learned from the Baldia garment factory fire, where 260 workers
lost their lives.

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2.6 COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: Assessing jobs at risk and the impact on
people and places

As governments around the world seek to save lives by slowing down the spread of the
coronavirus, they are having to take dramatic measures, with big implications for economic
activity. The United Kingdom declared a lockdown on March 23, 2020, to control the COVID-
19 pandemic. This seems to have helped rein in the public-health crisis but is taking its toll on
the economy.
In a typical lockdown week in May 2020, we estimate that economic activity (as measured by
GDP) is down roughly 30 percent from February 2020 levels. According to the Office of
National Statistics, in the weeks from April 6 to 19, 2020, 23 percent of businesses had
temporarily closed or paused trading, with around 60 percent of businesses that continued to
trade reporting a fall in revenues.1 Economic activity will recover as lockdown restrictions are
lifted, but the speed and patterns are highly uncertain and will vary by sector. In
McKinsey’s midpoint scenario, UK GDP in 2020 is expected to shrink by 9 percent, overall.

Such a rapid fall in output has significant implications for employment. We find that during
lockdown, around 7.6 million jobs are at risk—a term we use to encompass permanent layoffs,
temporary furloughs, and reductions in hours and pay. The risks are highly skewed: people and
places with the lowest incomes are the most vulnerable to job loss. Nearly 50 percent of all the
jobs at risk are in occupations earning less than £10 per hour. (The median hourly pay in 2019
was £13.30.) The proportion of jobs at risk in the 20 lowest-income subregions—such as
Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent, and Torbay—ranges from 23 to 29 percent, while the range for the
20 highest-income regions is much lower, at 18 to 25 percent.

In the rest of this article, we share our analysis of the jobs at risk in the United Kingdom and how
they differ by region, sector, occupation, education level, age, gender, ethnicity, and family
status. We also suggest a number of priorities for the government and business leaders. For a
detailed explanation of the methodology used, please refer to the sidebar in “Lives and
livelihoods: Assessing the near-term impact of COVID-19 on US workers."

2.7 The lockdown is already having a major impact on jobs

We estimate that in the weeks from April 6 to 19, 2020, around 22percent of the United
Kingdom’s working-age population, or nine million people, had been furloughed (Exhibit 1). At
that time less than 1percent of businesses reported ceasing to trade permanently or having laid
off people. However, the knock-on consequences of the lockdown are anticipated to result in
significant job losses down the road. Businesses’ ability to continue to employ and pay workers
might be particularly precarious when government support starts to be withdrawn.

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3. FINDINGS

Epidemics and economic crises can have a disproportionate impact on certain segments of the
population, which can trigger worsening inequality based on past experience and current
information on the COVID-19 pandemic and insights from previous crises, a number of groups
can be identified:

• Those with underlying health conditions and older people are most at risk of developing
serious health issues.

• Young persons, already facing higher rates of unemployment and underemployment, are more
vulnerable to falling labor demand, as witnessed during the global financial crisis. Older workers
can also suffer from economic vulnerabilities. After the MERS outbreak, older workers were
found to be more likely than prime-age individuals to experience higher unemployment and
underemployment rates, as well as decreased working hours.

• Women are over-represented in more affected sectors (such as services) or in occupations that
are at the front line of dealing with the pandemic (e.g. nurses). The ILO estimates that 58.6 per
cent of employed women work in the services sector around the world, compared to 45.4 per
cent of men. Women also have less access to social protection and will bear a disproportionate
burden in the care economy, in the case of closure of schools or care systems (ILO, 2018)

• Unprotected workers, including the self-employed, casual and gig workers, are likely to be
disproportionately hit by the virus as they do not have access to paid or sick leave mechanisms,
and are less protected by conventional social protection mechanisms and other forms of income
smoothing.

• Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, which will
constrain both their ability to access their places of work in destination countries and return to
their families.

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4. CONCULATION

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst jobs crises since the Great Depression.
There is a real danger that the crisis will increase poverty and widen inequalities, with the impact
felt for years to come. Countries now need to do everything they can to stop this jobs crisis from
turning into a social crisis. Reconstructing a better and more resilient labour market is an
essential investment in the future and in future generations. As the effects of the pandemic and
containment measures hit OECD economies, millions of people have been unable to go to work,
resulting in an exceptionally stark drop in activity and unprecedented job losses.This jobs crisis
risks turning into a social crisis. In the sectors most affected, up to half of all workers have part-
time or temporary contracts or are self-employed. Many lack job security and have limited
access to unemployment benefits. Countries have provided extraordinary levels of support and
should do all they can to maintain it for the most vulnerable, while working to build more
inclusive and resilient labour markets. The COVID-19 crisis is having a greater impact on some
workers than others. Young people and women are among those at greatest risk of joblessness
and poverty. They generally have less secure, unskilled jobs and are highly represented among
workers in industries most affected by the crisis, such as tourism and restaurants.

RERRRRE

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REFERENCES RERE
RERER
 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---
dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_738753.pdf

 https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_743036/lang--
en/index.htm

 https://cleanclothes.org/news/2020/live-blog-on-how-the-coronavirus-influences-
workers-in-supply-chains

 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25843&Lang
ID=E

 https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/lang--en/index.htm

 https://www.adb.org/publications/covid-19-impact-job-postings-bangladesh-sri-lanka

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