Wages and unemployment, two key issues on International Workers’ Day

On May 1st, Workers’ Day is celebrated. Nations remember labor demands, marches and declarations are organized, in a scenario marked by high unemployment rates, increase in informal work, use of AI to replace humans and pension reforms.

In January of this year, the International Labor Organization published its World Employment Report and Social Outlook: Trends for 2024. There it indicated that some 435 million workers would be looking for work in 2024.

In that document, the organization also showed that despite a reduction in the unemployment rate after the Covid-19 pandemic, “wages have decreased in most G20 countries, since positive results have not been possible” keep pace with inflation. According to the United Nations agency, the outlook is worrying and is unlikely to improve in the short term.

At a global level, the working force demands better salaries that allow them to cover their basic needs and escape precariousness. On the other hand, they request the creation of more jobs, taking into account that the world rate in this area could reach 5.2 % this year, according to the ILO report.

Low wages are widening the gap between the economic and social systems, marked by a worsening of citizens’ living standards.

The increase in the prices of goods and services and taxes, in addition to the conflicts generated by the restructuring of pension systems, keep workers on alert, who always end up at the least favored end of the production chain.

According to the ILO, one of the greatest challenges in the labor aspect is the equitable and fair transition towards a sustainable future, for which a greater effort by governments to improve the quality of life of the population through multilateral development funds is recommended. support for the most fragile economies, the creation of quality jobs, promotion of social inclusion, among others.

The use of new technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, is not foreign to labor discussions. Currently, AI is seen more as a threat to the stability of workers than as a help, given that thousands of people are being replaced by humanoid robots or digital systems that automate production chains in minutes. In this sense, the working masses focus on the ethical use of AI, the protection of jobs through a reorientation of the use of this technology and the timely discussion of a method of inserting humanoid robots that does not harm the race. human.

M.Pino

With information from international media

(Reference image: Josh Olalde in Unsplash)

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