What is the next crisis post COVID-19 Lockdown ?

                           What is the next crisis post-COVID-19 Lockdown? 

This " coronavirus" pandemic outbreak seriously affecting thousands and millions of people Globally, Due to this global novel virus people are in their homes in a lockdown condition and its affecting relationships, health even workplace culture.

World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the coronavirus outbreak pandemic, It's spread more than 180 countries, affecting the lives of more than ـ200,000 people. Due to this pandemic situation, most of the industries and global companies have been forced to adopt new measures to run their operation doing work from home ( WFH). Millions of people started working from home since early February 2020, and the number is growing rapidly. Many organizations may encourage their employees and asked them to continue work from home and continue this new culture Work from Home throughout the ecosystem. 

Now, what is the next crisis is waiting for us after lockdown?  

Many people will lose their job and will be in uncertainty. Post lockdown, the work status will be change. Mass people may face the uncertainty of livelihood which may continue longer with more pain. Most of the organization recently started taking some decision of sacking people, asking their employees to take indefinite leave without pay, some companies reducing salaries.

Came to know from other sources that, few companies are not directly asking employees to go home or take an indefinite unpaid leave, but they are putting their employees on a bench with reducing salary, those employees will automatically lose their job if a project not available. Some are reducing their employee strength, through three minutes of video call, without any prior notice. Actually, this decision is coming from the company CEO to their employees, some of those who had worked, given his maximum good period of life for the organization.

You may agree or not, my personal view that as an employee, whether you are getting higher or lower salary, you are paying tax to the govt,  standing in the queue for voting for political party, but  this time when companies are sacking or reducing manpower, the government does not have any concern on this issue. Companies can take such a decision in the name of an organization best interest, and no one bothers for employees neither the government nor any political parties. 

Present impact due to COVID-19 lockdown crisis, more than thousands of migrant workers are workless, homeless, and almost without cash and food, gathered at bus stands, railway stations to reach their home and govt, and political parties trying to help them to reach their destination and arranging food, money. Thanks to those political parties and government. 

Migrant workers waiting for transport to reach their villages 

According to the International Labour Organisation ( ILO ) analysis that globally more than Twenty-Five million people may lose their job due to this pandemic outbreak. As per their projection, four out of five means 81% of a global workforce of 3.3 billion people affected fully or partially for the closing of the workplace. As per news at US, UK, Canada and most European and Asian countries started registering about job losses. It will lead to a significant sharp rise in the unemployment rate.  As per ILO, COVID -19 is the worst global crisis after the 2^nd world war. The Head of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) Kristalina Georgieva said the world will face the worst economic crisis since the great depression of the 1930s. 

As per the  report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), over one-fourth (27.7%) of the total working-age population (15-59 years) of 1003 million, i.e. 285 million people are working in the week after the lockdown ( before lockdown being 404 million. That means within the two weeks of lockdown, 119 million workers lost their jobs. We can assume that half of those who have lost their jobs are the only single earning family member, an average of 5-member family size (as per census 2011) households, around one-third of India’s people or households, might be facing a severe living crisis and rest people will despair. Reasonably, this indicates that the present nationwide lockdown comes up with the biggest job-destroyer ever in history. 

However, these should not consider as permanent loss of livelihood as these estimations only expose the impact on jobs during the lockdown period. There is a chance that many of them may be able to get back to employment after the lockdown over. Simultaneously, it is a fact that many of them will lose their job and they have to retry to get new jobs which is critical to get new employment, such as workers who work as casual or contractual positions and those who returned to their villages during the lockdown. However, it may be having a high probability of error in the analysis as the CMIE was based on telephonic interviews only with a smaller sample.

What you should do in this COVID-19 Lock-down period?

It’s better to register under a job portal or update your CV for a new job search. Simultaneously engage yourself for new learning or certification through online while you are in lockdown position. Think about your best skill which you can utilize, or if you can engage yourself in a part-time earning activity, because after lockdown you will not gate this golden time for your self-preparation. You can also plan to start your new business as a start-up instead of searching for a new job. 

References :

1. Article:   “ Outlook The fully loaded Magazine “ 100Million And More Indian Jobs Are At Risk After COVID-19" / https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/business-news-100-million-and-more-indian-jobs-are-at-risk-after-covid-19-lockdown-is-your-job-safe/303094