In 2023, the global unemployment rate and jobs gap decreased to pre-pandemic levels, according to the World Employment and Social Outlook Trends report by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The global unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2023, lower than the 5.3% recorded in 2022. The report also revealed that despite an economic slowdown, there was modest global growth and labor markets showed surprising resilience in 2023. However, the ILO predicts an increase in unemployment in 2024 due to declining labor force participation rates and slowing employment growth, potentially raising the global unemployment rate to 5.2%.

The global jobs gap, representing those without employment but interested in finding a job, also saw improvements in 2023. However, the jobs gap rate was higher for lower-income nations at 20.5% compared to 8.2% for higher-income countries. The ILO’s Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo, indicated that these imbalances are structural rather than merely resulting from pandemic recovery and urged for effective action to address them.