According to the International Labour Organization, worldwide job growth will only be 1% in 2023, which is less than half of 2022.
In 2023, the ILO predicts that there will be 208 million unemployed people worldwide.
In a press statement, ILO Assistant Director-General for Jobs and Social Protection Cluster Mia Seppo stated, “The cost of living crisis is driving more people into poverty, especially working poor. The two billion people working in the informal economy, where they frequently lack legal rights or social protection, and the 200 million people living in absolute poverty are the most vulnerable employees.
She stated that it is not anticipated that employment will return to pre-pandemic levels in low-income nations this year.
“Our data suggests that in those locations where unemployment is currently below pre-crisis levels, this is mostly due to a shift towards the informal economy, which presumably just delays rather than addresses workers’ concerns,” she continued.
In the meantime, Seppo urged Nigeria and other nations to accelerate their efforts to realize Sustainable Development Goal 8 on Decent Work for All.
ILO stated that SDG Goal 8, which combines social, economic, and environmental ambitions, has an effect on all other Agenda 2030 goals.
She stated, “Generative artificial intelligence that enhances human creativity and overheating megacities were once the stuff of science fiction, but today they are the forces tied to technology, demographics, and climate change that are altering the way we work.
“However, it is unknown if these forces will alter our workplace for the better or worse. As a result of the changes taking place amid significant current challenges, this uncertainty is heightened.
She urged nations to make sure that these adjustments drive the world toward the more egalitarian, sustainable, affluent, and peaceful future that UN member states vowed to achieve when they adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015.
“This will be one of the important issues to be discussed at the SDG Summit in New York in September.”
“This is where Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 is essential. SDG 8 aims for full and productive employment and inclusive and sustainable economic growth, or, in other words, “decent work for all,” she said.
It is the only SDG, in Seppo’s opinion, that combines social, economic, and environmental objectives.
Since it will have a beneficial effect on other goals if accomplished, it can be seen of as a “multiplier goal” of the broader sustainable development agenda.
“Developing nations cannot be expected to act independently in a globalized economy. If we want to actually change things, we need global solidarity. Building universal social protection programs is one, she said.
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According to her, those could serve to alleviate poverty, lessen vulnerability and inequities, and manage disputes and social tensions.
According to Seppo, in order to meet this goal, humanitarian aid must be focused on bolstering state capacity and social protection institutions.
She emphasized that globalization needed to be reorganized and balanced, but that concerns about the effect of automation on job losses were legitimate.
She argued that new employment prospects in developing markets may be brought about by technology advancement.
“Furthermore, we must make sure that everyone throughout these supply chains reaps the rewards.
“We need to have clear, open policies and practices that are viewed as fair in order to bring all the elements of this strategy together. Because of this, the ILO is urging the formation of a Global Coalition for Social Justice, she pointed out.
