Sustainability of workers in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic: international research experience

Abstract

The purpose of the article was to study the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sustainability of workers. The paper analyses relevant domestic and foreign publications in the field of labour and employment. There is no single point of view regarding remote employment as one of the most effective ways to preserve health of workers. Among the main disadvantages of remote employment are the lack of live communication and contacts with colleagues, difficulties with organizing the workflow in the technological aspect, as well as the difficulty of combining work and household responsibilities. Researchers have an unambiguous position on reducing the number of working hours, fears of losing jobs or earnings – such risks are increasing in many regions of the world, and part of the population has already directly faced such problems. At the same time, for example, fears of losing a job largely depend on the form of ownership, the specifics of the organization’s activities, etc. The study pays particular attention to the situation of certain categories of workers and vulnerable segments of society in the labour market. The authors outline the prospects for remote employment and maintaining the sustainability of the position of workers in the new socio-economic reality.Keywords: coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, employment, labor market, labor relations, non-standard employment, remote employment, transformation of employment, unemployment