Flagship Report

World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2019

This report provides an overview of global and regional trends in employment, unemployment, labour force participation and productivity.

This report provides an overview of global and regional trends in employment, unemployment, labour force participation and productivity, as well as employment status, informal employment and working poverty. It also examines income and social developments, and provides an indicator of social unrest.

A key finding is that poor job quality is a prime concern for the most of the global labour force. In addition, unemployment and labour underutilization remain high in many countries, despite improvements in recent years.

The report also takes stock of progress with respect to targets for Sustainable Development Goal 8, which has been slower than anticipated.