Underutilization and inequality are two key challenges facing laborers around the world, according to an International Labour Organization (ILO) report published Jan. 20. An estimated 13% of the world’s labor force (470 million) is underutilized; this is more than twice as many people as reflected in the global unemployment rate. Of the roughly 470 million underutilized laborers, 119 million (25%) are categorized as potential labor, 188 million (40%) as unemployed and 165 million (35%) as facing time-related underemployment. Labor force analyses must include more than employment-to-population ratios, the report emphasized, because these do not account for underemployment levels within the workforce. The percent of informal laborers is significantly higher in low-income (89.8%) and lower-middle-income (83.7%) nations than in upper-middle-income (52.6%) and high-income (18.3%) nations.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 30, 2020 12:45 UTC