Unemployment 30 million higher than before crisis: ILO
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People stand outside an unemployment bureau in Athens on Oct 11, 2012. There are now 30 million more people without jobs around the world than before the global financial crisis began, the head of the International Labour Organisation said in remarks published on Friday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
TOKYO - There are now 30 million more people without jobs around the world than before the global financial crisis began, the head of the International Labour Organisation said in remarks published on Friday.
The figures come amid a growing debate over the merits of austerity, especially in Europe, where painful budget-cutting has pushed jobless levels as high as 25 per cent in some countries, including debt-hit Greece and Spain.
"Global unemployment is still more than 30 million higher than before the crisis," said Director-General Guy Ryder. "And nearly 40 million more women and men have stopped looking for work."
He said around a third of the more than 200 million unemployed around the world are under 25.
