REPORT
A recent report published by the International Labour Organization presents updated global and regional estimates of key labour market indicators. It also explores the question of what is holding women back in the labour market and provides new estimates of the impact of family responsibilities on gender employment inequalities.
Key Findings include:
- The global unemployment rate is projected at 4.9 per cent in 2024, slightly lower than in 2023 (5.0 per cent) and a downward revision from the previous projection of 5.2 per cent (see World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2024 report), but the trend is now flat.
- GDP growth is important, but it is not a panacea for sustainable development. Global trends show that progress in reducing poverty and informality has slowed down since 2015 and the relationship between these indicators and GDP has weakened
- Disaggregating global data reveals highly unequal employment deficits around the world. The lowest jobs gaps are in high-income countries, where men register a rate of 7.3 per cent and women 9.7 per cent. However, in developing and emerging economies, the jobs gap tends to be far higher, particularly for women. In low-income countries, the jobs gap rate for women stands at a striking 22.8 per cent and 15.3 per cent for men. Results for middle income countries present an intermediate picture, with women registering sizeably higher jobs gap rates than men.
- In 2024, the ILO estimates that 45.6 per cent of women (aged 15 and above) are employed, compared to 69.2 per cent of men, a gap of 23.6 percentage points. This gap is much larger than what the labour underutilisation indicators would imply, including the most broadly defined jobs gap indicator.
Download the report here.
