Employment and Health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region During COVID Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross- Sectional Study
Authors: Elsamman Kholoud , Al-Najar Maged , Sweedy Rahma , Hamza Nouran , Aqmati Huda , Mora Wageeda , Radwan Mervat , Elhwety Marwa , Al-Shalabi Donia Nezar , Mosilhy Ethar Ahmed , Tiryag Ali Malik , Shaban Mohannad Abdalfdeel Almahie , Mohamed Zinelabedin , Abusabha Saja E , Hamed Nourhene Ben , Ayed Emna Ben , Salah Rand Ashraf , Kadri Saeed A. , albakri Ezat , saad Mahmoud sayed , Tarawneh Dana J. Al , jeha Mohamad , Zohny Esraa Amr , Noor Ali Mohammed , Abdalla Yassin Abdelrahim Ahmed , Alghazali Murad , Elkaseh Kathloum , alsadawi Marwa Saif annaser , al-Hamid Sarah Hamdy Khalaf Abd , Shawabka Amal M , alsadi Dheya alhaq , Alkurdi khalil hussain , Hammadi Jihene , AlGhatm Hussain Yousef , El-Dardiri Osama , Hazzaa Noora Abdulhussein , Kahwaji Areej , Dewedar Doaa , Baroudi Ihsan , Ahmed Ibrahim Mutwakil Gamal , Ahmed Gamal Mutwakil Gamal , Alwrafi Hanan Taha , Kchaou Amel , AlMusabeh Hassan M.J , Alshargi Omar , Khaled Abrar , Eltahir Mohammed Tageldin Elhadi , Abbas Mohammed Muatasim , Gouri Adel , Dekaken Aoulia , Mellouki Adil , Braik Asma , Alzaid Samah Mukhlef , Al-Gharify Zainalabideen Yasser , Hassan Hassan Saleh , malek Ayadi mohamed , Alanazi Faten Altourki 
Published: September 2023

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.