Promoting the employability and income opportunities of people working in the informal economy is highly critical for inclusive societies, and more so in times of crisis. Innovations to facilitate outreach, the recognition of prior learning or digital solutions are highly needed, requiring new financing models and partnerships with employers and workers’ organizations.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and Facebook launched May 6, 2020, a partnership to support the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) of the region through online training sessions and policy roundtables. The program will help MSMEs face the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as many of them have been forced to close temporarily due to weak consumer demand, and plummeting foot traffic and social interaction.

The coronavirus crisis has hurried the arrival of the “future of work”. Lockdown has seen widescale remote working, increasing automation, a global revaluation of the care economy and a more visible lack of social protection within the gig economy.

There is an opportunity to “build back better” in 5 areas: reskilling and upskilling; supporting the jobs of tomorrow; prioritizing redeployment and re-employment; re-evaluating essential work and improving the quality of jobs; and resetting education, skills and jobs systems for the post-pandemic recovery.