Michelle ThompsonThe United Nations warns that millions of expected jobs could disappear this year due to an economic slowdown driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
According to a report released Wednesday by the International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN agency, only 53 million new jobs are now projected to be created globally in 2025 — 7 million fewer than earlier estimates. The revised forecast follows a weaker global economic outlook, largely attributed to ongoing trade disputes and rising geopolitical tensions. The ILO based its projections on the IMF’s recent downgrade of global GDP growth to 2.8% from 3.2%, citing market instability sparked by Trump’s new wave of tariffs.
The ILO also highlighted that around 84 million jobs across 71 countries depend on U.S. consumer demand, leaving them highly vulnerable to trade-related disruptions. Of these, approximately 56 million are located in the Asia-Pacific region, and over 13 million are in Canada and Mexico.
The agency cautioned that workers tied to U.S. consumption and investment now face a higher risk of partial or total income loss due to increased tariffs and ongoing trade policy uncertainty.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has escalated import tariffs on key trade partners and essential products such as automobiles and steel. He has announced plans to implement severe “reciprocal tariffs” starting July 9 unless new trade agreements are reached.
The unpredictability of these policies is putting pressure on global businesses and consumers, leading employers to adopt a more cautious approach to hiring. ILO Director General Gilbert Houngbo emphasized that continued trade and geopolitical instability would likely produce negative ripple effects across global labor markets.
