April 1980 • Issue 086



The World of Work

Without an enormous growth in productive employment by the turn of the century, the Third World will be faced with a potentially explosive army of jobless and low-income earners. Here the New Internationalist outlines employment trends in the underdeveloped nations over the next 20 years. UNEMPLOYMENT and UNDEREMPLOYMENT

  • Almost everyone in the Third World works. But there is very little 'wage' employment. Most work, especially by women and children is for subsistence. Formal 'unemployment' statistics count only urban job hunters. They don't accurately gauge who works and who doesn't.
  • The real problem is insufficient opportunity to earn an adequate income - either on family farms or in paid employment.
  • The International Labour Office estimates that more than one-third of the Third World labour force is 'underemployed' in this way.
The World of Work

Fact sheet on employment trends over the next 20 years.
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Voices from the margins:

Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.

House of Hunger Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
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Produced by Heidi Bachram.
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