World Economic Forum in Davos

Excerpts from interviews of ILO Director-General Guy Ryder at the World Economic Forum in Davos

Statement | Davos | 25 January 2013
ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder
CNN

“The austerity measures have been applied, they’ve been overdone. The IMF realises now that the potency of the austerity measures was more than they expected. If you’re taking medicine that’s stronger than you thought, you down the dose.”

Sky News
“I think we shouldn’t go too quickly into the notion that the crisis is over. For the people in the jobs queue, the crisis is very much with us and the queue is getting longer.”

NDTV
“History shows that when you have a recession or a financial crisis, like we are seeing since 2007, it normally takes an awfully long time for the job market and the real economy to recover. I think what policymakers need to think is how to shorten that time.”

CNBC
“We actually need to get growth going. I’m a little worried when I hear people here saying, we’ll get the finances right – I heard it this morning – we’ll get the public finances in order, and then we’ll turn to job and growth. I don’t think we can wait that long.”

The Guardian
“I am often asked whether the level of unemployment in southern Europe threatens social stability. Yes, it does. But you don't have to wait for a revolution to do something about it."