G20 commit to Putting Quality Jobs at the Heart of the Recovery

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, who was invited to present a report on policies and prospects for jobs and social protection to the Pittsburgh Summit said, “I welcome the significant commitment of the Leaders to “implementing recovery plans that support decent work, help preserve employment and prioritize job growth.”

“The ILO has brought the concerns of workers, enterprises and communities to the G20 table”, Mr Somavia said.

While recognizing that their actions over the past year have staved off a world depression, the Leaders Statement says, “we cannot rest until the global economy is restored to full health, and hard-working families the world over can find decent jobs.”

The G20 Leaders Statement was presented to the press in Pittsburgh on 25 September by President Obama.

“The messages coming from Pittsburgh are that the crisis is not over, that measures taken are on the way to creating or saving up to 11 million jobs in 2009 but that stimulus measures need to be maintained to curb unemployment and precarious work,” Mr. Somavia said.

Mr Somavia urged the “leaders to show the same determination and willingness to foster job creation as they have for saving banks. The Pittsburgh Summit was a big step in this direction”.

Mr Somavia, noting the Leaders’ concerns about finding a more balanced approach to the global economy, said, “For sustainable growth beyond the recovery we need to correct the imbalances which contributed to the crisis. Wages have lagged behind productivity in many countries contributing to imbalances between consumption and savings. We have over-emphasized the economy, especially the finance sector, and undervalued the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.”

The Summit established a Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth to ensure “a durable recovery that creates the good jobs our people need.”

Under the heading “Putting Quality Jobs at the Heart of the Recovery”, the leaders “commit to implementing recovery plans that support decent work, help preserve employment and prioritize job growth. In addition, we will continue to provide income, social protection and training support for the unemployed and those most at risk of unemployment. We agree that the current challenges do not provide an excuse to disregard or weaken internationally recognized labor standards. To assure that global growth is broadly beneficial, we should implement policies consistent with ILO fundamental principles and rights at work.”

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Source:ILO