UN report: half a billion people struggle to find adequate paid work
Nearly half a billion
people around the world are struggling to find adequate paid work, trapping
individuals in poverty and fuelling heightened levels of inequality, according
to a UN report. In a study published
as world leaders fly into the Swiss ski resort of Davos to voice
concerns over inequality and the climate crisis, the UN’s International
Labour Organization (ILO) said more than 473 million people around the
world lacked the employment opportunities to meet their needs.
In addition, the UN
agency said global unemployment was due to rise for the first time in almost a
decade in 2020, as weaker levels of economic growth around the world lead to
the number of people out of work rising by about 2.5 million to stand at more
than 190 million.
The report comes after
the UN said last week that trade tensions risked
dragging down global growth this year, in a development that would
derail international efforts to tackle poverty in low-income countries and
distract from the task of decarbonising the world economy.
Out of a working-age
population of 5.7 billion people around the world, the ILO found as many as 165
million people were employed but unable to find work with an adequate amount of
paid hours to meet their needs. It also found a further 119 million had either
given up actively searching for work or lacked access to the jobs market
because of their personal situations. Alongside those officially classified as
unemployed, about 473 million people across the planet are affected.... read more: