A political issue - Jobs in Brazil: The route out of poverty

SALVADOR DE BAHÍA, BRAZIL - "Unemployment is the number one political issue of our time," according to the Director-General, speaking to representatives of 34 countries attending the Thirteenth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour which took place at the end of September in this Brazilian city.

Mr. Somavia, who visited Buenos Aires and Salvador de Bahía between 22 and 26 September, warned of the need to create more jobs and more enterprises capable of generating employment, because that was the way to reduce the poverty which affects 220 million people in the region.

During his trip, he pointed out that the new global economy has not created the job opportunities which people need, nor has the quest by some governments for macroeconomic stability generated employment.

"In both the industrialized and the developing countries, employment has ceased to be a purely technical issue. Prevailing realities have made it a political challenge," he said.

The ILO Director-General made an official visit to Argentina on 22 and 23 September, during which he met the country's President, Néstor Kirchner, Minister of Labour Carlos Tomada, government representatives, and representatives of workers' and employers' organizations.

In Buenos Aires, he praised the courage of Argentina's people in their efforts to deal with a profound crisis, and said that the Government's continuing commitment to developing a productive economy was very positive. "What is needed is to lay the foundations for strong growth in employment in Argentina."

Mr. Somavia emphasized the importance of a "shift in thinking" away from the policies of the past, which focused too heavily on financial issues, towards other issues which reflected the aspirations of people and their families, who wanted "a chance to obtain decent employment".

Between 24 and 26 September, the ILO Director-General attended the Thirteenth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour, convened by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment, in Salvador de Bahía. During this meeting, the need to generate more jobs was highlighted as a fundamental and pressing need.

According to ILO research carried out at the end of the first six months of 2003, Latin America has an average unemployment rate of 11 per cent. "If to that figure we add the 80 million or so informal workers, we find that some 100 million people in Latin America have either no work at all, or work that cannot be considered decent. This particularly affects young people and women," Mr. Somavia told delegates. He recalled that "unemployment is the most blatant form of social exclusion," but also warned that innovative solutions would not be possible without major political decisions being made, and added that "we must all face up to our responsibilities."

Mr. Somavia warned delegates that, "There is no single prescription, and none that would be effective in all countries; there is no 'magic formula.'" But he also stressed that efforts to find solutions can be boosted by social dialogue, which he said was "the primary means of ensuring that economic and social policies are underpinned by a consensus among the main partners involved in the creation of wealth and growth; namely, employers and workers".

He told delegates, "The ILO's tripartite composition - governments, employers and workers - has given rise to a pivotal idea which now guides all our work: the creation of decent work as a powerful tool for promoting development and combating poverty."