The COVID-19 crisis has put a spotlight on the precarious situation of informal workers. Informal firms and workers are particularly vulnerable to shocks as they tend to have less cash on hand and more limited access to credit. Those in the informal sector are more likely to lose their jobs and face extreme poverty and food insecurity as the disease continues to intensify across South Asia. The overwhelming majority of workers in the informal economy have higher exposure to occupational health and safety risks, no appropriate protection, and an increased likelihood that they will suffer from illness, accident or death.

Full text available here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2020/07/29/informality-and-covid-19-in-south-asia