Sub-Saharan Africa's Working Poor to Increase in 2009
A staggering 82 percent of workers in sub-Saharan Africa are classified as "working poor" — those who are working but are still in poverty. The International Labor Organization expects that percentage to grow, sobering news to a region that has experienced it's best economic growth in more than four decades.
The ILO numbers indicate, however, that GDP growth is on the decline and many on the subcontinent are becoming discouraged in looking for work. The high percentage of youth workers in the region is making matters worse, the UN news agency reports:
The region has the world’s youngest working population and 75 percent of available jobs there are considered “vulnerable,” according to ILO. The agency estimated that one-third of job-seeking youths have simply given up or are working in jobs that pay less than $2 a day.
Small farmers who are being hurt by the drop in grain prices are a prime example of vulnerable workers. Many of these small farmer's have poured a large percentage of their resources into one venture and could be financially ruined if their investments sour. Family businesses often "employ" family member that work for no pay. These workers are also considered vulnerable and are still counted as being employed even though they don't actually earn wages, skewing the region's unemployment figures.
If the ILO’s predictions come true, 19 to 26 million people, many in these vulnerable positions, will join the ranks of the working poor, adding to the throngs of people struggling to meet the most basic of day-to-day needs.
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