'Coronavirus rendered over 20m jobless'

PBS report notes 80% of people associated with construction industry were affected by pandemic

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has revealed that 20.6 million people lost their jobs while the income of 6.7 individuals was reduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

The bureau of statistics observed that the manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale, transport, construction and other sectors were badly impacted by the contagion.

According to a report issued by the PBS about the social and economic impact of the coronavirus, the employment of 20.73 million people was affected in the Covid-19 lockdown.

The report noted that 80% of the people associated with the construction industry were affected by the pandemic. At least, 70% people related with the manufacturing industry and 67% with the transportation sector were hit by the viral outbreak.

It further said that 49% rural population and 57% people across the country witnessed a decline in their income during the lockdown.

Since 2018, the country’s growth rate had been on decline and the pandemic aggravated the situation even further.

The informal sector that accommodated 27.3 million employees prior to the pandemic is now either suffering from an increase in unemployment or underemployment.

The pandemic made people in the country even more vulnerable to poverty, and those who were already vulnerable have been pushed below the poverty line.