How do we deal with the enormous crisis in employment during the COVID-19 pandemic? National employment policies play an important role in addressing this issue by providing a vital entry point for the crisis response and a way forward to a job-rich recovery. In this podcast, Chief of Employment, Labour Market and Youth Branch Sukti Dasgupta and Head of the Employment Strategies Unit Sher Verick of ILO Employment Policy Department explain the vital role of national employment policies in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.