The crisis unleashed by COVID-19 is affecting every aspect of our lives, from health, jobs and education, to financial security, social relations and trust.
Poverty is rising, and people everywhere are worried about the future. The crisis has heightened social pressures and increased the inequalities that existed before COVID-19. Now is the time to intensify efforts to address these challenges.
We must continue to provide unprecedented support, to save lives and keep people working and in education. At the same time, we must prepare for an inclusive and transformative recovery together, one that puts people’s well-being at the centre.
This means:
Addressing inequalities in education
Supporting people, jobs & small businesses
Closing the digital divide
Measuring what matters in people’s lives
Working together on health, tax & trade
The pandemic has taught us some hard lessons about the impact of school disruptions and the shift to online learning on children, especially those from families with low incomes, little education or of migrant origin.
Many vulnerable children depend on school for stability and even meals. Many are likely to lack the IT devices or parental support to make learning at home effective. For others, home is simply not a safe environment, a problem that lockdowns and school closures have exacerbated. These impacts may affect their opportunities – and even earnings – for years to come.
We must invest in education, ensuring that everyone can learn safely and effectively, whether from home or in school. And we must close the educational digital divide, so that all students and families, teachers and schools, have the skills, equipment and connectivity they need.
The COVID-19 crisis has led to fall in employment and millions of jobs and businesses in once secure sectors have been hard hit, such as tourism, hospitality, retail and construction.
SMEs account for the majority of firms and jobs in OECD countries, particularly in these sectors. Many are struggling to survive the pandemic.
Workers are struggling too, in particular young people, women and low-income workers, who are among those at greatest risk of joblessness and poverty. They generally have less secure, unskilled jobs, and are more likely to work in industries and firms most affected by the crisis.
We need to provide adequate social protection to all people, as well as the necessary training for them to find work in new sectors as the recovery unfolds. We need to support viable firms and help industries develop new sectors and jobs.
Improving social dialogue and collective bargaining will also be essential in supporting people and firms today and in laying the foundations for the inclusive and sustainable jobs of tomorrow.
Co-operation is the key to a transformative and inclusive recovery for communities, cities, regions and countries, firms and social partners alike – and our way out of this crisis.
Drawing on the lessons learned during the 2008 financial crisis, it is only by gathering and analysing data, facts and viewpoints, and by learning from each other, that we can overcome the COVID crisis and build a better future, together.
From finding and distributing treatments and vaccines, to keeping trade flowing and our economies moving, and ensuring tax rules benefit all countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has made international co-operation among all countries and regions more important than ever.
In order to help countries build back better, this collection presents OECD analysis and data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and what will be needed to achieve a truly resilient and inclusive recovery. It focuses on inequalities and on what matters for well-being across a range of domains: education, jobs, business and finance, digitalisation, health, tax, trade and more.