Jobs High on Agenda for G20 Meeting - C20 Summit
20 June 2014 at 1:46 pm
Employment is at the highest priority for the G20 meeting set for Brisbane this November, according to one of the co-chairs of the inclusive growth and employment working group for C20 Australia.
At the C20 Summit in Melbourne – the first of the lead-in G20 ‘satellite’ conferences to debate policy suggestions to be put to the G20 group of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies – National Employment Services Association Chief Executive Officer Sally Sinclair, who co-chairs the working group, said employment wasn't just a grave problem in Australia but internationally.
"[Employment is] one which actually is at the highest priority for the G20 and an area where we have been keen to ensure that in looking at economic growth we are looking at addressing unemployment – that the G20 doesn't just simply look at economic growth as an end to itself that can solve all of the employment challenges that we are currently experiencing," Sinclair said.
"That it actually has a focus on inclusive growth and employment, particularly as it relates to people who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.
"We know that we have 75 million young people globally in unemployment, we've got 200 million unemployed across our G20 nations. And for every single one of those people, they are real individual with a real family in a real community.
"So as Tim [Costello, Australian C20 Chair] says as a civil society we are talking about people we're not talking about one particular aggregate number.
"Unless we take some serious measures to properly address the scourge of unemployment and the impact that has on individual's lives and their families on a global scale, then we're all going to be poorer as a consequence."
According to C20 Australia, the key issues that have been discussed through the C20 Conversations platform for inclusive growth and employment are: participation of vulnerable groups, including women and youth; employment, education and training; and, development and the post-Millenium Development Goals.
Sinclair said that the working group was particularly focussed on building skills and capabilities through education and training.
"Certainly we've got a range of strategies that we think the G20 should focus on and addressing those issues particularly if it relates to building skills and capabilities through education and training, and also we believe that every country should practice a clear action plan on how it's going to go about addressing employment and unemployment at both a national and international level," she said.
"In particular we would like to see those very focussed on young people and the level of engagement and also women's participation."
Organisers of the C20 Summit on June 20-21, said the summit would refine and endorse the specific policy issues and solutions civil society wants the G20 to consider when it meets in Brisbane in November.
The final position papers for the four C20 working groups are
Inclusive Growth and Employment;
These position papers will form the basis for discussions at the C20 Summit and the key recommendations from civil society to the G20 in 2014.
