The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus would cause the closure of more than 2.7 million companies and the loss of some 8.5 million jobs in Latin America, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimated on Thursday.
Of the total number of companies that would close, almost the majority - about 2.6 million - would correspond to microenterprises, the most vulnerable sector in the region’s production chain, said ECLAC, a technical agency of the United Nations, when presenting a study. on the situation of companies in the region during the pandemic.
According to ECLAC, the impact will be very different depending on the sector and the type of company. For example, items such as commerce and hotels and restaurants, which have a large number of micro and small businesses, will be hit hardest.