ILOSTAT blog
Women are more likely than men to want a job but not have one
Measures of joblessness that reflect the most urgent need for employment (such as unemployment) point to moderate differences between women and men. Yet, broader measures of joblessness point to much larger gender disparities – particularly in developing countries.
14 March 2024
Unemployment is the best-known metric to measure how many people struggle to find a job, and it is a critical indicator for policy makers. Globally 189 million people were estimated to be unemployed in 2023. This is particularly worrying as to be considered unemployed the requirements are quite strict. Jobless persons need to be available to take up employment at short notice and to have been recently searching for a job, as unemployment aims to reflect the immediate pressure being placed on the labour market. Read the full article