World jobless numbers rise, says UN labour agency

The number of jobless people around the world rose by 4 million in 2012 to 197 million and is expected to grow further, the UN labour agency warns.

In a report, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said the worst affected were youth: nearly 13% of the under 24s were unemployed.

It said global unemployment was projected to rise 5.1 million this year and by a further 3 million in 2014.

The trend reflected a downturn in economic growth, the document said.

This was particularly the case in developed countries.

The report - Global Employment Trends 2013 - said that 6% of the world's workforce were without a job in 2012.

It revealed that long-term unemployment was also growing, pointing out that a third of Europe's jobless had been without work for more than a year.

Many were giving up, with the report estimating that 39 million people had withdrawn from the labour market.

The report also called for more funds to be injected in vocational training to equip young people to do the jobs available.