About 22m fewer people are in work in advanced economies than before the coronavirus pandemic, according to research by the OECD which forecasts that labour markets will not recover until the end of next year.

Rich countries could face a sustained rise in long-term unemployment, warned the report published by the OECD in Paris on Wednesday. This is because the low-skilled workers who were most likely to lose their jobs at the start of the pandemic are ill-equipped to move into the sectors where hiring is strongest.

Meanwhile, businesses are likely to bring back employees who are still being supported through short-time work schemes before they create new jobs at scale, risking the emergence of a gulf between those who have continued to work and those who have lost jobs and income, the OECD said in its annual employment outlook.