ILO report says women, lowest-paid workers' wages most affected due to COVID-19 pandemic

Though one-third of the countries reported an average increase in wages, this was because a substantial numbers of lower-paid workers lost their jobs, which influenced the data.

Moneycontrol News

Dec 3, 2020 / 01:40 PM IST

A waitress wearing a protective mask and gloves works, as some Spanish provinces are allowed to ease lockdown restrictions during phase one, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tarragona, Spain. (Image: Reuters)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, monthly wages declined or grew more slowly in the first six months of 2020, according to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Women and lowest-paid workers have been hurt the most by this fall in wages, the ILO said in its Global Wage Report for 2020-21.

"The crisis is likely to inflict massive downward pressure on wages in the near future," the ILO said.

"The growth in inequality created by the COVID-19 crisis threatens a legacy of poverty and social and economic instability that would be devastating," said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

Though one-third of the countries reported an average increase in wages, this was because a substantial numbers of lower-paid workers lost their jobs, which influenced the data.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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