Global Employment Trends 2011: The Challenge of a Jobs Recovery: Executive Summary

This year's Global Employment Trends report is the first to assess how the world’s labour markets have been faring during the ongoing economic recovery and provide projections of employment and unemployment prospects for the world as a whole as well as the various regions. Chapter 1 focuses on the macroeconomic context for growth and employment, and notes that the persistently high levels of unemployment stand in stark contrast to the recovery seen in several key macroeconomic indicators. Chapter 2 provides an overview of global trends in employment, unemployment, labour force participation, vulnerable employment, working poverty and other key indicators. The report finds that there were around 40 million more working poor at the extreme US$ 1.25 level in 2009 than would have been expected in the absence of the global economic crisis. An estimated 630 million workers (one in five workers in the world) were living with their families at the extreme US$ 1.25 a day level in 2009. In both Chapters 2 and 3, extensive use is made of country-level data to enrich the global and regional analysis, but also to draw attention to important differences in terms of trends and challenges within regions. Chapter 4 offers policy considerations. It warns that a 'narrow' focus on reducing fiscal deficits without addressing job creation will further weaken employment prospects for the 205 million unemployed in 2010. Full report: http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/WCMS_150440/lang--en/index.htm