New York, Jan. 26 -- Job losses or reduced working hours due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cost the world the equivalent of 255 million jobs in 2020, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Monday, noting that the "massive impact" was nearly four times the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis.

According to the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work, the losses resulted in an 8.3 per cent decline in global income, before factoring in support measures, equivalent to $3.7 trillion or 4.4 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP).

Recovery scenarios

While there is still a high degree of uncertainty for 2021, the ILO estimates projected that most countries could see a relatively strong recov...