World unemployment rises

The world needs 500 million new jobs in the next decade

By Claire Doole in Geneva

A day before economic leaders meet for the annual world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, the UN agency for labour has said that there are 160 million people without work around the world, 20 million more than three years ago.

IT revolution could provide some of the new jobs

In its World Employment Report 2001, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says the world will have to create 500 million jobs over the next decade.

The ILO says this would keep pace with the numbers of new job seekers entering the market, as well as halve global unemployment levels.

The ILO hopes that some of the new jobs will be created through the information technology revolution.

Job creation

One billion people - that is a third of the world's work force - are unemployed or underemployed.

World employment figures (Source: ILO)

160 million workers are unemployed

50 million of the unemployed are in the industrialised countries

500 million workers are unable to keep their families above the $1 poverty line

460 million new young jobseekers over the next 10 years - 2/3 of them in Asia

500 million new jobs needed over the next decade

And the number of people without any work at all is rising.

Part of the problem is due to demand for work outstripping supply.

The author of the ILO employment report, Rashid Amjad, says more jobs have to be created.

"The global economy will have to generate 500 million new jobs during the next 10 years just to accommodate new seekers of the labour force and reduce the current level of unemployment."

The ILO says this target can only be met if the global economy continues to grow as it has in recent years.

IT hopes

It hopes the information technology revolution, will provide some of the new jobs.

But the ILO says developing countries will only benefit if they can improve education standards and their telecommunications infrastructure.

Only 5% of the world's population has ever logged on to the internet, and nearly all the users live in industrialised countries.

The report warns that the digital divide, between the technological haves and have-nots is widening.

And it says that those countries that don't get on board the digital revolution face a loss of competitive economic strength, as well as a possible decline in national income.