India loses half a million jobs

[rehaman]

The World Bank predicts the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since World War II, and sees trade at its lowest point in 80 years.

World Bank forecasts show that global industrial production by the middle of 2009 could be as much as 15 percent lower than levels in 2008, it said in a paper for next Saturday's meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors.

Developing countries face a financing shortfall of $270-700 billion this year, as private sector creditors shun emerging markets, and only one quarter of the most vulnerable countries have the resources to prevent a rise in poverty.

The paper said that 94 out of 116 developing countries have experienced a slowdown in economic growth. Of these countries, 43 have high levels of poverty.

To date, the most affected sectors are those that were the most dynamic, typically urban-based exporters, construction, mining, and manufacturing.

For example, 'more than half a million jobs have been lost in the last three months of 2008 in India, including in gems and jewellery, autos and textiles,' the paper noted.

Many of the world's poorest countries are becoming ever more dependent on development assistance as their exports and fiscal revenues decline because of the crisis.

The bank said only one-quarter of the vulnerable countries will be able to ease the impact of the economic downturn through job creation or ``safety net'' programs.

[Saku]

The World Bank said that international financial institutions cannot by themselves currently cover the shortfall-that includes public and private debt and trade deficits-for these 129 countries, even at the lower end of the range.

A solution will require governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector. Only one quarter of vulnerable developing countries have the ability to finance measures to blunt the economic downturn, such as job-creation or safety net programs.