The role of vocational training in confronting the effects of COVID-19 in Latin America. ILO/Cinterfor Notes Nº8 - 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will have severe and prolonged effects on the economy and employment worldwide, affecting incomes and the well-being of millions of people.
The ILO estimates that 25 million people around the world could lose their jobs, while for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC estimates a 1.3% contraction of regional GDP, which could lead to a rise in unemployment rates of up to ten percent. For its part, on its website dedicated to the subject, the OECD highlights the magnitude of the impact of the crisis on employment and household income, in the midst of an event whose complexity makes it extremely difficult to undertake economic projections. The Director General of the ILO has referred to how this crisis has shed light on the fragility of our economies.
Social distancing measures implemented in the countries of the region and the strong impact on economic activity and employment are affecting vocational training institutions. Nearly all of them have suspended their face-to-face training activities and are operating with distance learning in various ways, as we shall discuss below.
