According to the May edition of the World Employment and Social Outlook report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the number of people without jobs globally in 2024 stands at 402 million.
The report defines the global ‘Jobs Gap’ as the number of individuals who are without a job but actively seeking one. Out of the 402 million people without jobs, 183 million are classified as unemployed.
Further analysis from the report indicates that in low-income countries, including Nigeria, the jobs gap for women is notably high at 22.8 percent, and 15.3 percent for men. This is in contrast to high-income countries, where the rates stand at 9.7 percent for women and 7.3 percent for men.
Globally, the report highlights that 45.6 percent of working-age women will be employed in 2024, compared to 69.2 percent of men.
Despite these figures, the report predicts a slight improvement in the global unemployment rate, forecasting a drop to 4.9 percent from 5 percent in 2023.
In his comment on the report, ILO Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo said: “Today’s report reveals critical employment challenges that we must still address. Despite our efforts to reduce global inequalities, the labor market remains an uneven playing field, especially for women.
“To achieve a sustainable recovery whose benefits are shared by all, we must work towards inclusive policies that take into consideration the needs of all workers. We must place inclusion and social justice at the core of our policies and institutions. Unless we do we will fall short of our objective to ensure strong and inclusive development.”
The development comes as Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose to 5 percent in the third quarter of 2023 from 4.2 percent in Q2.
