Executive Summary

Cleaning and sanitation workers Manual workers Food systems workers Technicians and clerical workers Retail workers Health workers Security workersThe COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the extent to which societies need key workers -in both good times and bad -but also how undervalued most key jobs are At the end of March 2020, 80 per cent of the world's population lived in countries with required workplace closures.But among the hushed streets of cities and towns throughout the world, key workers left the safety of their homes to go to work.These workers produced, distributed and sold food, cleaned streets and buses to minimize the spread of the pandemic, ensured public safety, transported essential goods and workers, and cared for and healed the ill.These are the "key workers".The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the extent to which societies need key workers -in both good times and bad -but also how undervalued most key jobs are, raising concerns about the sustainability of these essential activities, especially given the likelihood of future shocks.This report calls for a revaluation of the work of key workers and greater investment in key sectors in order to more fully reflect their economic and social contributions.This is one of the most important public policy lessons to be drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic, as every country has an inherent interest in strengthening its resilience to major disruptions and crises irrespective of their nature. Key workers provide essential goods and services that enable societies to function…Key workers can be found among eight main occupational groups: food systems workers; health workers; retail workers; security workers; manual workers; cleaning and sanitation workers; transport workers; and technicians and clerical workers.Across the 90 countries with available data, key workers make up 52 per cent of the workforce, though the share is lower in high-income countries (34 per cent), where economic activities are more diversified (see figure ES1).