The Middle East and North Africa remain the region with the highest rate of unemployment in the world, at 13.2 percent in 2005, according to the International Labor Organization’s annual Global Employment Trends report, released this week.
This region also has the highest share in working poverty. Working poverty at the level of $1 a day declined in all regions in 2005 except in Sub-Saharan Africa where it increased by 2.5 million, and the Middle East and North Africa, where it more or less stayed the same, the ILO report said.
The organization found the Middle East and North Africa were the only areas where the share of total employment in services did not increase over the past 10 years.
As to the trend of women taking part in the labor market, the report said the Middle East and North Africa witnessed an increase in female participation from very low levels.
The organization said, “the weakness of most economies to turn GDP growth into job creation or wage increases, coupled with a spate of natural disasters and rising energy prices, hit the world’s working poor especially hard.”
The ILO said the report indicates that economic growth alone is not adequately addressing global employment needs.
Globally, the report said there were 191.8 millon jobless people at the end of 2005, an increase of 2.2 million since 2004.