The recovery of the global economy should be focused on job creation, international officials have claimed.

Meeting in Oslo, Norway, they have suggested that more needs to be done to combat joblessness and underemployment around the world, particularly since the financial crisis of 2008.

Hosted by the Norwegian prime minister and sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the event brings together representatives of academia, government, business and labor to discuss issues related to work.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managing director, declared: "Tackling the jobs crisis is not only critical for a meaningful global economic recovery, but also for social cohesion and peace."

His words were echoed in a joint statement by ILO director-general Juan Somavia who explained that a key global object should be creating high levels of employment through co-ordinated dialogue.

The event is a response to an ILO estimate that 34 million individuals worldwide are out of work as a result of the economic crisis.

Posted by Lee Thrace