1.4 billion workforce in Asia-Pacific surviving only on $5.5 or less: UN Report
United Nations
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in its recent report has painted a grim picture of the workforce in the region. The report states that two-thirds of Asia-Pacific's workforce, 1.4 billion to be precise, is meandering on the verge of poverty by surviving on only $5.5 per day.
The report, released at the seventh session of the Committee on Social Development also added that more than half the region's population is excluded from any social protection.
“Our region spends less than half of the global average on social protection. Almost 60 per cent of the population has no social protection coverage against normal life events such as pregnancy, child-raising, sickness, disability, unemployment or simply getting old,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, executive secretary of ESCAP.
Read more:Why is China so angry over UN report on Xinjiang?
The vulnerability due to lack of social protection has far-reaching consequences. 85 million unprotected people have been pushed into extreme poverty, only managing on less than a meagre income of $1.9 per day. Meanwhile, 158 million of this class have plunged into moderate poverty, surviving on $3.2 a day.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
According to the report, Asia-Pacific's labour productivity has fallen below the global average.
"During the pandemic, the lack of affordable health care and social protection contributed to pushing 243 million people into poverty," added the report.
The report also took into measure the climate change the Asia-Pacific region was witnessing and its effect on the labour class.
"The region is highly exposed to climate-induced natural disasters with detrimental welfare consequences for workers, as jobs disappear and businesses relocate."
The workers in the informal sector, especially in the agriculture sector, constituting one-third of the labour force were the most vulnerable group due to climate change.
To protect such class of citizens across the region,UNESCAP, on the sidelines of the meeting launched a Social Protection Online Toolbox (SPOT) that will help countries tobroaden thesocial protection net for them.
Read more:Global warming to fuel heatwaves, wildfires, triggering more air pollution: UN
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE: