The International Labour Office (ILO) will mark International Women`s Day with the release of a new report, Global Employment Trends for Women, March 2008.

According to the report, more women are working than ever before but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic rights nor voice at work. It further states that the number of employed women grew by almost 200 million over the last decade, to reach 1.2 billion in 2007 compared to 1.8 billion men. However, the number of unemployed women also grew from 70.2 to 81.6 million over the same period.

The report shows that improvements in the status of women in labour markets throughout the world have not substantially narrowed gender gaps in the workplace. The share of women in vulnerable employment—unpaid, contributing family workers or own-account workers, rather than wage and salaried work — has decreased from 56.1 to 51.7 per cent since 1997. However, the burden of vulnerability is still greater for women than men, especially in the world`s poorest regions.

The report provides an update on the state of women in labour markets worldwide. It undertakes a comparative analysis of labour markets at the global and regional levels, delivers the latest data on female labour force participation, unemployment, etc., and addresses a new indicator on the share of women in vulnerable employment. It also analyses the evolution of female employment by sector over the past decade and the persistent gender gaps in the world of work.

The report points out that, for many women, moving away from vulnerable employment into wage and salaried work can be a major step toward economic freedom and self-determination, and that the poorer the region, the greater the likelihood that women remain among the ranks of the contributing family workers or own-account workers.

Access to labour markets and to decent and productive employment is crucial in the process of creating greater equality between men and women, says the report. The study observed that the most successful region in terms of economic growth over the last decade, East Asia, is also the region with the highest employment-to-population ratio for women (65.2 per cent), low unemployment rates for both women and men and relatively small gender gaps in sectoral as well as status distribution.

Broadening access for women to employment in an enlarged scope of industries and occupations will be important for enhancing opportunities for them in the labour market, says the report. Society`s ability to accept new economic roles for women and the economy`s ability to create decent jobs to accommodate them are the key prerequisites to improving labour market outcomes for women, as well as for economic development on the whole.