By TERESA CEROJANO
AP
Asia is likely to have 7.2 more jobless people in 2009 than last year due to fallout from the global economic crisis, raising the region's jobless rate to 5.1 percent, the International Labor Organization said Wednesday.
It forecast the ranks of unemployed workers would likely balloon to 97 million in 2009 in Asia, the world economy's star performer in recent years but where a third of the population still live on a little over 1 U.S. dollar a day. Last year, the unemployment rate was 4.8 percent.
In the most pessimistic scenario, the number of unemployed could swell to 113 million, or 22.3 million more than last year, the ILO said in a report on the crisis' fallout in Asia.
An estimated 51 million new jobs will be needed this year and next to absorb Asia's growing labor force, with most jobs needed in the region's giant economies - 20.3 million in India, 10.9 million in China and 3.6 million in Indonesia.
Countries with the highest rates of expected labor force growth through 2010 include Pakistan at 6.1 percent, Cambodia at 4.9 percent, and the Philippines at 4.9 percent.
"There is very little chance that a sufficient number of new jobs will be created in the region this year to keep up with expected labor force growth," the report added.
As fewer jobs are created at home, remittances from the region's army of migrant workers began to slow in the third quarter of 2008.
It forecast the ranks of unemployed workers would likely balloon to 97 million in 2009 in Asia, the world economy's star performer in recent years but where a third of the population still live on a little over 1 U.S. dollar a day. Last year, the unemployment rate was 4.8 percent.
In the most pessimistic scenario, the number of unemployed could swell to 113 million, or 22.3 million more than last year, the ILO said in a report on the crisis' fallout in Asia.
An estimated 51 million new jobs will be needed this year and next to absorb Asia's growing labor force, with most jobs needed in the region's giant economies - 20.3 million in India, 10.9 million in China and 3.6 million in Indonesia.
Countries with the highest rates of expected labor force growth through 2010 include Pakistan at 6.1 percent, Cambodia at 4.9 percent, and the Philippines at 4.9 percent.
"There is very little chance that a sufficient number of new jobs will be created in the region this year to keep up with expected labor force growth," the report added.
As fewer jobs are created at home, remittances from the region's army of migrant workers began to slow in the third quarter of 2008.
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