From hero to zero

On Sunday morning, Irish chef Cúán Greene woke up to the review of his life. Britain's Observer newspaper told readers his cooking would make them "thrillingly giddy and euphoric". Hours later he was out of a job.

Bastible, the Dublin restaurant where he was head chef, was closing as a result of the growing threat from the coronavirus. Greene, 27, and 13 colleagues were all let go.

"When you get a great review, it's a special week every time, and those weeks turn into great months. That's what's upsetting because with what's going on, you feel slightly stunted," said Greene, who worked in the world famous Danish restaurant Noma before returning home to Dublin.

"That's very hard to take, I have to admit and that's what makes me turn at night."

Greene's woes are an example of how the coronavirus pandemic is laying waste to hospitality businesses across the board, irrespective of size or success. Employers across Europe are slashing jobs at a ferocious pace as emergency lockdowns shutter bars, restaurants and hotels, empty offices and ground airlines.

It will be months before official national data reveals the scale of the destruction but the International Labour Organization warned on Wednesday that up to 25 million jobs could be lost globally if governments don't act fast, outpacing the 22 million jobs lost during the 2008-09 financial crisis.

European countries have pledged hundreds of billions of euros to mitigate the economic impact of the virus and have eased the rules to make it easier for people to qualify for unemployment benefit and to help companies keep workers on.

In Italy, the epicentre of the outbreak in Europe, the state has gone one step further, suspending any firing procedures begun after February 23.

In Ireland, where Prime Minister Leo Varadkar estimated 100,000 people or more - almost 5% of the workforce - could lose their jobs within two weeks.

In Germany, Belgium companies have flooded local authorities with requests for state aid to finance short-time work. The abruptness of the layoffs across Europe, coupled with the growing proportion of contract workers who may not qualify so easily for unemployment benefit, mean not everyone will be protected.

Over 100,000 workers across Spain have been let go due to the coronavirus, and the total number could reach 1 million.

In Poland, the job losses are particularly difficult for younger workers used to having options.

Nicoise Kemp, 23, a student in Warsaw, lost her job at one of the city's top hotels after four years working there as a waitress and bartender.

"Right now there isn't even any recruitment going on," she said. "I think for students this was quite a shock, because one moment we had a job, we had university classes we were very busy, and then one day we don't have anything."