ILO and EBRD jointly support small and medium-sized enterprises in the fight against Covid-19 crisis in Moldova

  SMEs do not only struggle with a lack of resilience as they are dealing with the costs of the reduction in global demand, they also lack liquidity, access to capital and tend to stagnate generally.  Many SMEs fear workers’ productivity decline and skills erode as result of the pandemic. Furthermore, access to information, support for improving skills and working conditions including safety and health as well as for restructuring in the face of the COVID-19 crisis are also a problem for many of them.

In response to the challenges micro, small and medium enterprises face, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is launching an information campaign, supported by the European Union under the EU4Business Initiative. The campaign will consist of a series of webinars targeting SMEs between July and December 2020. The campaign will cover the labour issues triggered by the pandemic and SMEs will receive expert advice on how employment relationships can be preserved.

The webinars will cover:

• Business continuity: response to COVID-19
• Key business environment challenges in Moldova in the context of the pandemic
• Partial unemployment vs. lay-offs: an overview of measures agreed on by employers and workers through social dialogue during the pandemic
• Recovery from COVID-19: Boosting enterprise productivity through skills development with a focus on work-based learning and on sectoral/industry development
• Responses to COVID-19: key instruments of support for enterprises throughout the crisis.

During the webinars, local and international experts with share their knowledge and answer participants’ questions. The sessions are free of charge, but registration is required. Further details are here: https://www.facebook.com/ebrd.asb.moldova/