The average unemployment rate among the world's wealthy nations could reach 12.6 percent by the end of this year if a second coronavirus pandemic wave occurs, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday.

In its annual employment outlook report, the OECD predicted the jobless rate would more than double from 5.3 percent at the end of last year in the worst-case "double-hit" scenario, due to restrictions on economic activities, such as city lockdowns, to slow the virus spread.

The Paris-based club of 37 mostly wealthy countries said the pandemic is "turning into a jobs crisis far worse" than the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. The previous worst OECD-wide jobless rate of 8.66 percent was logged twice in October 2009 and January 2010.