A new study released on Monday by the UN’s labor agency says fewer women will regain jobs lost to the COVID-19 pandemic during the recovery period, than men.

In Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery, the International Labor Organization (ILO) highlights that between 2019 and 2020, women’s employment declined by 4.2 per cent globally, representing 54 million jobs, while men suffered a three per cent decline, or 60 million jobs.

This means that there will be 13 million fewer women in employment this year compared to 2019, but the number of men in work will likely recover to levels seen two years ago. 

This means that only 43 per cent of the world’s working-age women will be employed in 2021, compared to 69 per cent of their male counterparts. 

Patrick Sallia reports.