London, July 24 (HNA) – As the effects of the pandemic and containment measures hit OECD economies, millions of people have been unable to go to work, resulting in an exceptionally stark drop-in activity and unprecedented job losses.
Up to 10 times fewer hours were worked in some countries, compared with the first few first months of the 2008 financial crisis.
Unemployment is projected to reach nearly 10 percent in OECD countries by the end of 2020, 
up from 5.3 percent at year-end 2019, and to go as high as 12 percent should a second pandemic wave hit. A jobs recovery is not expected until after 2021.
In some countries, employers used job retention programmes to cut hours while allowing workers to keep their pay and jobs; there, it is likely that the full impact of the pandemic is yet to be felt.
In others, there have been unprecedented leaps in unemployment, but many workers will return to their jobs (or to new ones) as economies re-open and activity picks up.