Six figures showing the economic and social impact of the pandemic in Latin America

One in four people in Latin America has not been able to regain the job they had before the pandemic.

And about half of households have not managed to bring their total income back to the pre-pandemic level, despite the fiscal aid that has been given to the most vulnerable families, according to a joint investigation by the World Bank and the United Nations Program to Development (UNDP).

Although many of the region’s economies have begun to reactivate after one of the worst crises in recent decades, Latin America has not yet managed to return to the situation in which it lived in 2019, according to the BBC.

Now that many of the fiscal aid are coming to an end and an inflationary wave is growing strongly that is sweeping the world, families are trying to get ahead with the alternatives they have at hand.

“The COVID-19 pandemic evidenced pre-existing inequalities in the region, where the most vulnerable groups and the poorest have been disproportionately affected,” said Luis Felipe López-Calva, UNDP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here we present 6 figures that show the impact of the crisis and two encouraging data amid the slow economic and social recovery in Latin America.

1. Employment

This is one of the most sensitive topics for families. Occupation is still below pre-pandemic levels, but what is most disturbing is that the quality of available work has worsened.

27% of those who had a job before the pandemic are without work, according to data collected through telephone surveys carried out by international organizations until June of this year.

By country, the most critical cases are those of Haiti, Colombia and Panama.

• 27%of those who had a job before the pandemic have not been able to get it back.

2. Informal work

When comparing the situation that existed before the pandemic with what is happening today, employment decreased, informal work increased, and average weekly working hours decreased.

Many have left the workforce entirely, and more than half of those who work are informally employed.

• 53%of the population have an informal job. Before the pandemic it was 48%

3. Income

About half of the households still do not recover the total income level they had before the pandemic. 48% of families report that they have had a reduction in their income during this crisis.

The most affected countries are Haiti, Colombia and Ecuador, while Argentina, El Salvador and Honduras have managed to get closer to the situation they had in 2019 with greater speed.

• 48%of the people have not been able to regain their income level prior to the pandemic.

4. Food insecurity

During the pandemic, food insecurity nearly doubled. 24% of households were left without food due to lack of money.

And countries with the highest levels of inequality and poverty before the pandemic were the hardest hit by food shortages.

• 24%of households ran out of food due to lack of money.

5. Education

Most of the region’s children participate in some type of educational activity, although the percentage varies substantially from country to country.

Countries like Chile and Peru have the highest levels of school participation, while Guyana, Guatemala and Belize are at the opposite extreme.

More than a year after the start of the pandemic, only a quarter of the students in the region attend school in person.

The countries where they least attend in person are Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Mexico.

• 23%of children attend classes in person.

6. Gap between men and women

Comparing people who had a job before the pandemic and who now do not have it, 18% of men have been affected by this situation, while 39% of women suffer this aftermath of the crisis.

That is why researchers conclude that women are more than twice as likely as men to have lost their job. Worse yet: more than half left the workforce entirely.

The reasons? Mainly caring for others at home and unpaid domestic work.

• 39%of women who were employed before the pandemic were unemployed.