GENEVA, Switzerland, June 6 (UPI) -- Some 430 million new jobs are needed over the next decade to keep pace with a growing labor force, the United Nations' labor chief says.
"The global economy is not delivering enough decent jobs that people need," Juan Somavia, director-general of the International Labor Organization, said Monday at the U.N. agency's annual conference in Geneva.
"Despite the many benefits of globalization, we see again and again how the dignity of work has been devalued," he added. "Economic optimism for some is matched with profound social pessimism for many. This is why we must put in place policies that replace jobless growth with quality, 'job-rich' growth."
Somavia also noted as much as 80 percent of the world's work force lives in developing countries.
The conference, which has just entered its second week, is focusing on a wide range of issues, including changing patterns in the world of work, child labor, occupational safety and health, the employment relationship, labor inspection and a review of labor standards in a number of countries.
Among other challenges facing the global economy, ILO says, is the need to come to terms with an aging population, discrimination, migration and the fact that six out of 10 workers in the world lack social protection.
"We can mainstream these issues within the U.N. system," Somavia told the delegates.
