IN 2009 A NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYMED EXCEEDS 200 MILLION PEOPLE

             Dushanbe, January, 29th. (Nargis Boyakhmedova, Olga Saprykina, the NIAT "Khovar"). — Based on November 2008 IMF forecasts, the global unemployment rate would rise to 6.1 per cent in 2009 compared to 5.7 per cent in 2007, resulting in an increase of the number of unemployed by 18 million people in 2009 in comparison with 2007. Such data are given in Global Employment Trends report of International Labor Oraganization. In a current worst case scenario, the global unemployment rate could rise to 7.1 per cent and result in an increase in the global number of unemployed of more than 50 million people.             Based on November 2008 IMF forecasts, the global unemployment rate would rise to 6.1 per cent in 2009 compared to 5.7 per cent in 2007, resulting in an increase of the number of unemployed by 18 million people in 2009 in comparison with 2007.  The number of working poor — people who are unable to earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US$ per person, per day, poverty line, may rise up to 1.4 billion, or 45 per cent of all the world's employed. In 2009, the proportion of people in vulnerable employment — either contributing family workers or own-account workers who are less likely to benefit from safety nets that guard against loss of incomes during economic hardship — could rise considerably in the worst case scenario to reach a level of 53 per cent of the employed population.           The ILO report notes that in 2008, North Africa and the Middle East still had the highest unemployment rates at 10.3 and 9.4 per cent respectively, followed by Central & South Eastern Europe (non EU) & the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at 8.8 per cent, sub-Saharan Africa at 7.9 per cent and Latin America at 7.3 per cent. The lowest unemployment rate was once again observed in East Asia at 3.8 per cent, followed by South Asia and South-East Asia & the Pacific where respectively 5.4 and 5.7 per cent of the labour force was unemployed in 2008. The report shows that the three Asian regions — South Asia, South-East Asia & the Pacific and East Asia — accounted for 57 per cent of global employment creation in 2008.             In the Developed Economies & European Union region, on the other hand, net employment creation in 2008 was negative, minus 900,000 which explains in part the low global employment creation in this year. Compared with 2007, the largest increase in a regional unemployment rate was observed in the Developed Economies & European Union region, from 5.7 to 6.4 per cent. The number of unemployed in the region jumped by 3.5 million in one year, reaching 32.3 million in 2008.             If a large number of countries, using their own accumulated reserves, emergency IMF loans and stronger aid mechanisms, put in place coordinated policies in line with the ILO Decent Work Agenda, then the effects of the downturn on enterprises, workers and their families could be cushioned and the recovery better prepared. Organization called on the upcoming meeting of the G-20 on 2 April in London, alongside financial issues, to urgently agree on priority measures to promote productive investments, decent work and social protection objectives, and policy coordination.