ILO Increases Estimates of Global Unemployment

The UN News Centre reports that The International Labour Organization (ILO) increased its estimates of worldwide unemployment for 2009. The ILO's own web release projects an increase of 39 to 59 million unemployed people since 2007. It also states, "Updated projections of working poverty across the world indicate that 200 million workers are at risk of joining the ranks of people living on less than USD 2 per day between 2007 and 2009." The ILO's full report can be found in the Global Employment Trends - Update, May 2009.

The ILO was founded in 1919 and became a special agency of the United Nations in 1946. Its primary objectives are to promote worker rights, advocate acceptable employment opportunities, promote social protection, and improve communication in employment situations. Following are some additional ILO resources relevant to global unemployment:

• Measurement of employment, unemployment and underemployment – Current international standards and issues in their application (2007)
• Statistics and databases

For additional resources, see the international section of our guide to Labor and Employment.