Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth

The World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Employment warns that persistent unemployment and underemployment are creating a vicious circle of depressed consumption and investment. The report advocates for G20 countries to coordinate macroeconomic and labour policies, specifically recommending targeted infrastructure investment for a low-carbon transition, the implementation of quality apprenticeship systems, and the use of Youth Guarantee programmes to prevent long-term scarring effects on young workers.

• The global employment outlook for 2014 is poor, with the International Labour Organization forecasting global unemployment to rise to over 200 million people.
• Youth unemployment remains critical in specific regions, with rates near 30% in the Middle East and North Africa until 2017, and between 33% and 50% in parts of southern Europe.
• Underemployment is a significant issue globally; in 2012, approximately 20% of part-time workers in OECD countries wanted to work more hours, while many in emerging economies remain in low-productivity, low-paid roles.
• The report argues that high unemployment is primarily driven by weak labour demand rather than skills mismatches or educational failures, although long-term unemployment does lead to skills depreciation.
• To stimulate demand and support a low-carbon economy, the Council recommends targeted infrastructure investments and shifting taxation from employment to environmental "bads".
• Supply-side recommendations include transitioning from "work-first" to "learn-first" models for low-skilled unemployed individuals and scaling up quality apprenticeships through L20 and B20 cooperation.

APA

World Economic Forum (2014). Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_Employment_TacklingUnemploymentCrisis_Report_2014.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth. 2014. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_Employment_TacklingUnemploymentCrisis_Report_2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth |date=January 2014 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_Employment_TacklingUnemploymentCrisis_Report_2014.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2014tackling, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_Employment_TacklingUnemploymentCrisis_Report_2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }