Employment and Health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region During COVID Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross- Sectional Study

Abstract Background The COVID-19 epidemic and its economic consequences were devastating. Tens of millions of workers were laid off in the early months of the crisis. While employment started to recover within a few months, it remained high into 2020. Improving employment and significant alleviation measures aided in reducing the very high levels of suffering experienced in the summer of 2020. Nonetheless, significant unmet need persisted at the end of 2021, with 20 million families reporting having too little to eat and 10 million households falling behind on rent. Early in 2022, around 3 million fewer people are working than before the epidemic, yet substantial improvement has been made, notably in recent months. Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine how COVID-19 has affected the safety, health, and economics of the labour force in the MENA region. Results Work attendance dropped significantly throughout the pandemic. It was reported that 42.4% were worried about being infected at work and that 73.2% were worried about spreading the virus to others in the workplace. The majority of individuals who routinely went to work (37.1%) did so without taking the essential measures, despite the fact that 33.5% of them had symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Only 19.8% of workers reported improvement in their health, 64.9% experienced substantial sleep problems in the previous month, and 64.2% were at risk for mental illness. Use of tranquillizers, opioids, and analgesics skyrocketed in comparison to times before the epidemic. Conclusion The research uncovers unsettling work environments and a drop in health markers in the MENA region at the height of the pandemic. It suggests that COVID-19 may have intensified inequalities related to socioeconomic status, gender, and age. It's vital, once the pandemic is over, to keep a close eye on these conditions and work towards reversing the decline.