According to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), more than 900,000 Afghans have lost their jobs since the Taliban took control last August.
Working women are disproportionately affected, according to SIGAR, with women's employment expected to fall by 21 per cent by mid-2022, reported The Khaama Press.
Since the Taliban takeover, unemployment has skyrocketed, and poverty across many parts of the country has put millions of people at risk.
According to the International Labour Organisation, more than 500,000 Afghan workers lost their jobs in the third quarter of 2021, and the number of people who will lose their jobs since the Taliban took control is expected to reach 700,000 to 900,000 people by mid-2022, reported Khaama Press.
Due to four decades of conflict, severe drought, and pandemics, Afghanistan's economy was already collapsing.
After the Taliban seized power following the hasty withdrawal of US soldiers, the international community froze Afghanistan's assets and withheld help.
Women’s employment levels are already extremely low by global standards, but ILO said that they are estimated to have decreased by 16 per cent in the third quarter of 2021, and they could fall by between 21 per cent and 28 per cent by mid-2022.
“The situation in Afghanistan is critical and immediate support for stabilization and recovery is required,” said Ramin Behzad, Senior Coordinator of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for Afghanistan. “While the priority is to meet immediate humanitarian needs, lasting and inclusive recovery will depend on people and communities having access to decent employment, livelihoods and basic services.”
Hundreds of thousands of job losses have been seen in several key sectors which have been “devastated” since the takeover, ILO said.
Moreover, women work, and especially female breadwinners, have struggled to make ends meet since the Taliban took control. Female employees in government offices are currently housed in the majority of cases, reported Khaama Press.
Women's rights have grown steadily throughout the international presence in Afghanistan, but the Taliban's return threatens this progress.
The Taliban's recent burqa imposition on Afghan women is a case in point.
The lack of work also threatens to worsen child labour levels in Afghanistan, where only 40 per cent of children aged five to 17 years old attend school.
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