- International Labour Organisation has released the labour report 2020 titled “World Employment and Social Outlook 2020”. The report provides a global overview of where the world stands in terms of the labour market.
- The 2020 edition of the ILO’s Labour report maps the progress made and the remaining gaps in achieving social justice and decent work.
Key Findings
- As per the ILO's Labour report 2020, the average GDP per capita in 2018 was around US$1,700 (using PPP exchange rates from 2011) across low-income countries, which translates into a daily per capita income of less than US$5.
- In addition to this, the average per capita growth has been only 1.8 per cent in low-income countries and the gap with lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries has only widened over the past 18 years.
- The report highlights that lower projected economic growth will weaken the ability of lower-income countries to reduce poverty and improve working conditions.
- The Total labour underutilization is more than twice as high as unemployment and it is affecting more than 470 million people across the world.
- There is a big mismatch between labour supply and demand. The number of unemployed people across the world in 2019 has reached beyond the 188 million.
- Along with this, 165 million people are in employment but they wish to work more paid hours. Approximately 120 million people are not classified as unemployed but they are somehow attached to the labour market and can enter into employment in the near future.
- The global unemployment rate was 5.4% in the year 2019 and it is estimated to remain the same over the next two years. Also, the combined rate of labour underutilization is projected to stabilize at just above 13 per cent.
- The report also highlights that having a paid job was not a guarantee of decent working conditions or of an adequate income for many people out of a total of 3.3 billion globally employed people in 2019.
- According to the report, over 630 million workers worldwide, which is 19% of the total employed, live in extreme or moderate poverty. These workers are earning less than US$3.20 per day in purchasing power parity terms and are unable to lift them out of poverty.
- Out of the 11 sub-regions of the world, the rate of unemployment is highest in North Africa (12 per cent) and Central and Western Asia (9 per cent). However, the lowest unemployment rates are observed in South-East Asia and the Pacific (3 per cent) and North America (4 per cent).
- At the global level, the employment rate of the working-age population living in rural areas is 59% which is greater than that in urban areas i.e. 56 per cent.
- The labour market is continuing to see gender inequality. In 2019, the female labour force participation rate was just 47 per cent while the male labour force participation was 74 per cent.
- As a major concern, 267 million young people between the ages of 15 to 24 worldwide (or 22 per cent of that age group) are not in employment, education or training.
Questions
Q: 1. According to ILO’s Labour report, what was the female labour participation rate in 2019 worldwide?1. 74%
2. 47%
3. 89%
4. 32%
5. 40%
Answer- 2
Explanation- In 2019, the female labour force participation rate was just 47 per cent while the male labour force participation was 74 per cent.
Q: 2. How many people were unemployed in 2019 according to the “World Employment and Social Outlook 2020” released by ILO?
1. 179 million
2. 188 million
3. 154 million
4. 168 million
5. 132 million
Answer- 2
Explanation- The number of unemployed people across the world in 2019 has reached beyond the 188 million.
