Geneva (AsiaNews/SCMP) - Half the world's workers - some 1.4 billion people - are so poor they are unable to earn more than US $ 2 a day, a new study released by the International Labour Office (ILO) says.
The ILO World Employment Report 2004-2005 said economic policies to create employment opportunities was vital for reducing global poverty.
"Women and men all over the world expect to get a fair chance at a decent job," ILO director-general Juan Somavia said. "Generating more and better jobs must become the central plank of the global drive to reduce poverty," he said.
The ILO report also revealed that the 185.9 million unemployed people in 2003 represented the "tip of the iceberg" of those who are poor.
About 2.8 billion people internationally were working in 2003 - more than before. Of these, a record 1.4 billion were living on less than US a day. Some 550 million are even living below the US a day poverty line. The problem is more serious in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, south and south-east Asia. Poverty is also widespread in parts in South America.
The figures were not all bad. The ILO said the share of people working under the US $ 2 a day poverty level has declined from 57.2 per cent in 1990 to 49.7 per cent in 2003. The figure might drop to around 40 per cent in 2015.