Labour Day: 200 Million People Unemployed Globally

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Every year, people, companies and governments from across the world celebrate Labour Day, or as it is also commonly referred to, International Workers’ Day. And while this is a day to celebrate and respect the achievements of workers and the working class, around 200 million people are currently unemployed globally, according to the World Bank.

The International Workers’ Day dates back to the 19th century when labour movements and trade unions in the United States became influential. Many dates were chosen for celebrating labour, but May 1 has become the most popular date for the holiday across the globe. Despite originating in the U.S., the International Workers’ Day rose in Europe, occurring each year on May Day, the traditional European spring holiday. It was of particular importance in Eastern Europe’s communist past and today it is marked almost everywhere in the world. Interestingly, the holiday is associated with labour movements, specifically with the eight-hour day movement, which advocated that workers should spend 8 years at job each day, in contrast with the common 12-hour or even longer working day in the past. Today, most of us work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. And the issue now is cutting the working week even shorter.

There are many problems being faced by labourers today – poor working conditions, low wages, lack of medical coverage, short or non-existent maternity leaves, no paid overtime, no pension fund, and no job security. In fact, many workers still remain outside official statistics as they are part of the informal sector, or the grey economy. These people aren’t protected by labour laws, they get paid under the table, and they aren’t able to enjoy the benefits of official employment. But numbers reveal the picture is even gloomier.

The World Bank’s “Working Together for Jobs” report says that around the world, more than a billion people of working age are not participating in the labour force at all. Considering the global population stands around 7 billion, and taking into account the huge numbers of older adults and children, this statistic is shocking. It also claims that 200 million are unemployed. According to experts, around 600 million additional jobs need to be created over the next 15 years due to the rapid population growth in recent years. Moreover, at least half of the world’s working population are self-employed, farmers, or in the grey economy in general. It means they are destined to low earnings and very little security.

Gender inequality is also a major problem as most of the billion people, not taking part in the labour force, are actually women. There are fewer women in management, fewer women CEOs and entrepreneurs. In addition, women often earn less than their male counterparts – in every part of the world. The other vulnerable group includes younger people. 75 million of the approximately 200 million unemployed people around the world are under the age of 25. And it’s the young people who more often work informal jobs with poorer conditions.

So, tomorrow, on the International Workers’ Day, let us not forget about all those people who work and make our lives a little bit easier – the salesman at the grocery shop, the postman, our hairstylist, and so on. And most of all, don’t forget to celebrate it by getting as much as you can from this day.

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