G-20 Labour Ministers stress on job creation

The first-ever meeting of Labour Ministers from G-20 countries, including India, that began here on Wednesday has stressed on the need to create new jobs and preservation of the existing ones as the working class across the globe are among most hit by the current global economic crisis.

Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge is attending the two-day meeting in which participants are discussing job creation and preparing global workforce for a post-crisis economy.

In a set of recommendation drafted ahead of meeting, the Labour Ministers of G-20 - a grouping of top 20 economies of the world - say that as some countries experience economic recovery "continued attention be paid to job creation and job preservation, including vigorous implementation of existing policies and consideration for additional employment measures".

The G-20 Labour Ministers, who are scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, are expected to recommend strengthening of social protection systems; employment and poverty alleviation are placed at the centre of national and global economic strategies; the quality of jobs are improved where fundamental rights at work are respected, and that workforces are prepared for future challenges and opportunities through skills training.

 "It will establish a firm basis for the ambitious recommendations that we will give to our respective Leaders to achieve the balanced global economic growth that all of our countries want, and that will provide the economic security we seek for our workers in the years ahead," said US Labour Secretary Hilda L Solis in her opening remarks.

The meeting would help the participating nations to develop an understanding among themselves of the range of labor market conditions and challenges in the G-20 countries.

Talking to foreign reporters a day earlier, Solis said the main objective of the meeting is to prepare a set of recommendations for measures that countries should consider in order to tackle the job crisis.

"These measures will help set the stage for a sustainable, balanced recovery that creates good jobs for all those who want to work or who are underemployed," she said. "The second goal is to develop an understanding among the ministers on the range of labor market conditions and challenges faced by the G-20 countries in order to build a foundation for future discussion and cooperation," Solis said.