Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
The World of Work in the Time of Coronavirus: a Haemorrhage of Jobs and Changes in View
May 5, 2020

The labour market is being hit hard by the consequences of the damage caused by the novel Coronavirus. Out of the 3.3 billion employed working people in the world, more than 4 out of 5 are affected by the total or partial closure of workplaces, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). In this paper, we will examine, in detail, the situation of the global labour market in the context of the crisis, before discussing the major changes expected in the world of work and the main lessons to be learned.

The upheavals brought about by the advent of the coronavirus pandemic have brought questions about the future of the labour market back to the forefront, questions that have always emerged during bad economic times accentuated in the most obscure economic episodes. The same applies to the reflections on these questions. They point to both short- and long-term impacts, ranging from cyclical reactions of employment, unemployment and underemployment to the most hysteretic and complex changes in productive organization. The current shock is no exception to this logic. This Policy Brief is an attempt to explain how.

RELATED CONTENT

  • October 7, 2025
    Global economic growth has been more resilient than expected, as the artificial intelligence-led growth seems to be compensating for the negative impacts of trade conflicts. Overstretched asset values and slowing jobs growth may be signaling that the balanced crossing of those two paths...
  • October 3, 2025
    In this episode, we explore Africa’s industrial challenges and opportunities, showing how AfCFTA-driven integration, green sectors, and inclusive policies for women, youth, and SMEs can foster sustainable growth, resilience, and domestic value capture. ...
  • Authors
    October 3, 2025
    Global economic growth has been more resilient than expected, as the artificial intelligence-led growth seems to be compensating for the negative impacts of trade conflicts. Overstretched asset values and slowing jobs growth may be signaling that the balanced crossing of those two paths will be challenged. ...
  • September 19, 2025
    Pierre Nguimkeu, Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, examines Africa’s digital transformation and its impact on work, education, and the economy. From mobile technology ...
  • Authors
    September 19, 2025
    Le constat est unanime et est constamment souligné : le modèle de développement en vigueur au Maroc a atteint ses limites. La Vision Royale, refusant « un Maroc à deux vitesses », vient formaliser au plus haut niveau cette préoccupation systémique, documentée par une décennie de rapports officiels. La  Vision de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI est un hymne à une dynamique de croissance dont les retombées doivent être plus équitablement réparties et à un développement te ...
  • Authors
    September 16, 2025
    Les questions des inégalités sociales et des inégalités territoriales sont profondément liées.  Les politiques publiques ne peuvent réduire l’une sans s’attaquer à l’autre.  Le phénomène des inégalités peut s’accentuer avec la fragilité de la situation socio-économique de certains territoires d’autant que le développement territorial n’est pas spontanément équitable. La réduction de ces inégalités, un des enjeux majeurs des politiques publiques, oblige à con ...
  • September 11, 2025
    Ce travail apporte un éclairage critique sur l'alignement des dispositifs publics d'orientation des étudiants marocains à l'étranger avec les ambitions de développement du pays. Il interroge la capacité de ces mécanismes à transformer la mobilité étudiante d'une potentielle "fuite des cerveaux" en un véritable "gain de cerveaux". S'appuyant sur une étude de cas qualitative, nous avons mené une analyse de contenu systématique (cartographie) de 204 programmes promus par le ministère d ...
  • August 08, 2025
    Dans cet épisode, Ibrahima Sory Cissé  et Adri Dibaba Makpira Gnassengbe  partagent leur expérience à la tête des radios rurales en Afrique de l’Ouest. Ils évoquent le rôle cruc ...
  • Authors
    Jihad Ait Soussane
    August 7, 2025
    This paper was originally published on tandfonline.comThis study investigates the long-term impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup on unemployment using panel data of 10 countries from 1983 to 2022. The empirical analysis used two estimation techniques namely the Robust Weighted Least Squares (RWLS) and Estimated Generalized Least Squares (EGLS) with fixed and random effects. Our findings reveal that hosting the FIFA World Cup can reduce long-term unemployment by 2.86% to 3.60% over f ...
  • Authors
    Zakaria Elouaourti
    August 7, 2025
    This paper was originally published on tandfonline.comYouth’s life paths have become increasingly challenging, especially for those classified as ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET), who comprise 31.2% of North Africa’s youth population. This paper contributes to the growing discourse on the NEET phenomenon by exploring its structural and psychosocial dimensions in North Africa, with a specific focus on gender. Using a rich micro-level dataset of 7,815 individuals age ...