Among ASEAN’s ten countries, the Philippines’ labor force fared the worst in 2020, suffering the “highest working-hour losses” due in part to lockdowns enforced in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), although all ASEAN nations experienced substantial reductions in working hours and the Philippines had seen the greatest declines in working hours, totaling 13.6 percent.

In an 11-page study titled “COVID-19 and the ASEAN Labour Market: Impact and Policy Response” the ILO said that in comparison, working hours decreased by just 4.3 to 4.5 percent in countries such as Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia comprise ASEAN.

The ILO said that among the variables affecting these nations’ disparities in working-hour losses were their capacity to manage the outbreak, as well as the rigor and length of lockdown measures imposed to contain the virus’s spread.

https://www.theasianaffairs.com/work-hour-losses-amid-pandemic-worst-in-ph-among-asean-countries/