Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 28, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe UN labor agency cuts global job growth forecast to 1.5% due to economic challenges, with 53 million jobs expected in 2025, 7 million less than previously predicted.
By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nation's agency for labour on Wednesday cut its global employment forecast for job growth this year to 1.5% due to a worsening global economic outlook and trade tensions.
Some 53 million jobs will be created this year, that is seven million less than previously thought as economic growth predictions were lowered to 2.8 per cent, from 3.2 per cent, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a report.
"Economic uncertainty has been high in 2025, shaped by ongoing conflicts, geo-economic realignments, and trade-related disruptions," the report said.
Some of the 84 million jobs across 71 countries that are linked to U.S. consumer demand are increasingly at risk of disruption due to trade tensions, the ILO said. Jobs in Canada and Mexico have the highest share of jobs exposed, it added.
"If geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions continue, and if we do not address fundamental questions that are reshaping the world of work, then they will most certainly have negative ripple effects on labour markets worldwide," said the ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo.
(Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Madeline Chambers)
The United Nations agency for labor has cut its global employment forecast to 1.5%, which translates to the creation of approximately 53 million jobs this year.
The forecast has been lowered due to a worsening global economic outlook, trade tensions, and ongoing conflicts that contribute to economic uncertainty.
There are about 84 million jobs across 71 countries that are linked to U.S. consumer demand, which are increasingly at risk due to trade tensions.
If geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions persist, they may have negative ripple effects on job creation and the overall labor market.
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