Call for employment and social policies to drive growth and recovery
30 Mar 2009
ROME (ILO News) – At a special G8+6 Social Summit, International Labour Organization Director-General Juan Somavia called for new employment and social protection policies to drive economic growth and a recovery from the global economic crisis.
In comments to the G8+6 Social Summit Meeting of Labour and Social Ministers in Rome, Mr. Somavia said, “We need G8 and G20 leadership to make employment and social protection policies a driver of economic growth.”
He highlighted that with the world’s labour force growing by 90 million over the next two years, a deep recession and a long slow recovery will lead to a huge build up in unemployment and working poverty, particularly in developing countries.
“A big part of restoring confidence is building people’s trust in progress towards a new vision of a fairer, cleaner, more stable world,” he said. “This meeting of G8+6 Ministers of employment, Labour and Social Affairs can help us all to make a big step towards that vision and make a major contribution to a G8 Summit this July which puts people first as we seek to build out of the crisis towards a fair globalization.”
Mr. Somavia also said strong international coordination is “vital to place employment and social protection at the centre of the global response effort and multiply the impact of stimulus measures. In addition, international cooperation must ensure that vulnerable countries and people receive financial support for their employment and social protection policies.”
The ILO Director-General said the labour organization was proposing a “Global Jobs Pact” that would be developed by its International Labour Conference in June. He said such a Pact “combines national action, agreed nationally, with global action, agreed globally, on employment promotion and social protection, as well as stronger labour institutions.”
Source:ILO
