Washington, D.C., April 19, 2010 – Business leaders from major world economies met with G20 labor ministers in Washington today, urging them to work more closely with the private sector to preserve and create jobs, and improve worker employability.
Labor and employment ministers from throughout the G20 will convene in Washington tomorrow to make recommendations on employment to G20 leaders.
“Education and training outcomes, and the wider goals prioritized by the G20 leaders in Pittsburgh last year, will only be achieved by governments working with business as partners in both policy and service delivery,” stated Wiseman Nkuhlu of South Africa, president of the International Organization of Employers (IOE).
“In this recovery, continued attention must be given to restoring conditions for sustainable private sector-led recovery,” according to Charles P. Heeter, Jr., principal with Deloitte LLP and chair of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC). “This is the necessary path to maximize sustainable job creation.”
“Rapid and sustained economic recovery will drive job growth,” the business leaders said in a joint statement, available at www.ioe-emp.org and www.biac.org.
The IOE and BIAC jointly convened the G20 business delegation. Their main recommendations to labor ministers were:
- Review and reform regulation affecting business operations to better support a return to sustainable growth, investment and employment.
- Focus on employability for all groups including those at the margins of the labor market as a key priority, including to ensure support and incentives for job seekers and the unemployed to move into employment.
- Improve education and vocational training to help working people avoid unemployment and remain in the workforce during labor market crises.
- Harness more flexible working options, including temporary and part-time work, especially as a way of getting more people back into the workforce.
American participation in the business delegation was organized by the United States Council for International Business, which serves as the U.S. affiliate of both IOE and BIAC.
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation. Its members include top U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading global business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.
Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org
More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Policy Committee