Paris  - With mass layoffs becoming more common as a result of the economic crisis, more and more workers around the world are forced to take jobs without a contract and any social security, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Wednesday in Paris.

According to a new OECD study, some 1.8 billion people, or more than half the world's labour force, now find themselves in this precarious situation.

"That number is projected to grow to two thirds of the workforce by 2020, assuming stable population trends and growth patterns, and could go higher if more jobs are lost to the economic crisis and more migrants return home to informal sector jobs," the OECD said.

The situation affects primarily women - who make up the majority of workers in poor-quality jobs - and workers in developing countries with no unemployment insurance, the OECD said.

To remedy the situation, the authors of the study call for immediate and unconventional action. "The support of donor countries will be essential," the OECD said.(dpa)