The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned that coronavirus epidemic is likely to push about 40 crore workers in the informal sector in India into poverty.
In a report, the ILO said that about 2.7 billion employees would be affected in the world because of COVID 19 pandemic. The report said that 90 per cent of the people working in the informal sector in India would suffer.
It said that the ongoing lockdown in the country have already impacted the employees in the informal sector. The lockdown has forced thousands of them to return to the rural areas, the report said.
The ILO also said the employees face a high risk of falling into poverty if no appropriate policy measures are taken. They would also face the challenge of regaining their livelihoods in the recovery periods.
The report also said that employment contraction has already started on a large scale in many countries. The ILO said that there will be a decline of 6.7 per cent working hours in the second quarter of 2020, which means 195 million full time workers are affected. The report said that retail trade, food services and manufacturing sector s would be severely affected.
