Ask the Expert: Sabina Dewan on just jobs

What is the jobs challenge?

There are approximately 205 million people around the world without jobs. And about 14 million of them are in the United States. When people don’t have jobs, they don’t have an income. And when they don’t have an income, they can’t take care of themselves, they can’t take care of their families, they can’t educate their children, and this is a real problem. Because when people don’t spend money, the economy slows down. We are not just facing a jobs challenge right now. We are facing a jobs crisis.

What are just jobs, and why are they important?

The challenge we are facing right now is not just about creating jobs—it’s about creating good jobs. If we want people to spend money, they have to have the income that they need. Just jobs are jobs that provide people with a decent wage. They provide people with labor rights, including the right to collective bargaining, and freedom of association. And they provide people with the opportunities for economic mobility.

How do you promote just jobs?

Many people believe that if we have economic growth, the jobs will come. But that has proven not to be the case. We must focus on jobs—just jobs first. This means that our trade policies should focus on creating jobs here at home. But they also need to include strong labor provisions that will help raise living standards abroad. We also need to make sure that workers around the world have adequate household income. And that means that when they have decent wages, they have pensions, and they have health care. They’re more likely to spend money. And when consumers buy more things, that means factories will hire more workers. Lastly, President Obama has an opportunity to go to the Group of 20 leaders meeting later this year and promote a jobs agenda for countries worldwide. The G-20 must come up with a plan for job growth just as it has come up with a plan for financial regulation.