Women and youth found to bear brunt of job losses amid pandemic

Women and youth in Southeast Asia have been found to bear the brunt of job losses amid the pandemic, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Workers aged 15 to 24 in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam were found to account for as much as 45% of job losses at the peak of the pandemic last year, despite the fact that they represent less than 15% of the workforce in the countries, highlighted the ADB in a report.

These workers were more likely to lose their jobs because they dominated sectors that were hard-hit, like hotels and restaurants, wholesale, and retail trade.

“The significant job losses experienced by youth, who already faced important labour market challenges in the region … were accompanied by other pandemic-induced difficulties such as disruptions to education and skills development, and delays in school-to-work transitions,” the ADB added.

In 2Q2021, the employment-to-population ratio (EPR) for youth in Vietnam had dropped by more than 12 percentage points compared with its pre-crisis level, while its youth unemployment rate had reached the highest point since the start of the pandemic. 

Over the same period, the youth EPR in Thailand fell by 2.9 percentage points, compared to 1.1 percentage points for adults in 1Q2021.