Underemployment continues, and the informal economy is tending to grow, Somavia said.

Referring to fiscal adjustment plans announced by several European Union members, the ILO director said attention also must also focus on the high unemployment rate and on precarious employment.

He insisted on the need to boost productive investment in sustainable companies, decent labor, and fairer wages.

The hundreds of millions of unemployed people worldwide will require the creation of about 400 million jobs in the coming ten years, Somavia said.