World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) – May 2025

THEME: Mobilising for social, economic and political campaigns

TITLE: World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) – May 2025

PUBLISHED BY: International Labour Organisation (ILO)

WHO IS THIS FOR: The latest edition of the World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) Trends reveals new data on job growth forecasts, shifting employment trends, income inequality, and the implications of technological change. It also explores the risks tied to rising geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions, and their ripple effects across regions and sectors.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revised its global employment forecast for 2025, projecting the creation of 53 million jobs instead of the previously estimated 60 million. This translates into a reduction in global employment growth from 1.7 per cent to 1.5 per cent this year. The drop – which is the equivalent of around seven million fewer additional jobs – reflects a downgraded global economic outlook, as GDP growth is expected at 2.8 per cent, down from a previous projection of 3.2 per cent. The findings of this report on the employment landscape are sobering, but they can also act as a roadmap for the creation of decent jobs. This report is useful for trade unionists, researchers and worker educationists.

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World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) – May 2025