ILO deplores increasing income disparities in richer countries. - In its Global Employment Trends 2013 report, the International Labour Organization (ILO) highlights the worsening employment situation and increasing entrenched pay disparities in rich countries. Although the global economy is beginning to emerge from the crisis and the majority of emerging economies have achieved positive results in terms of job creation and tackling inequality, the ILO points out that this is completely the reverse in high revenue countries. The financial crisis partly slowed down the process two years ago (lower wages, reductions in bonuses) but the situation has got worse again. The ILO underlines the deteriorating situation of the middle classes in many economies in industrialised countries. In Spain, middle-income households only accounted for 46% of the total at the end of 2010, as opposed to 50% in 2011. In the US, the richest 7% saw their average net incomes rise from 56% to more than 63% of the median income between 2009 and 2011. According to the ILO, this phenomenon is exacerbated by long-term unemployment, the deteriorating quality of jobs and workers leaving the labour market. The International Labour Organization is highly critical of the increase in salaries for the most senior company directors, as well as the profits obtained by large companies. These increases have been particularly sharp in Germany and China where the average salary of company directors grew by more than 25% between 2007 and 2011. In the US, the increase was around 10% for the same period. At corporate level, the rise in profits has served only to enrich the companies. For companies quoted on the stock market in industrialised countries, Treasury cash flow rose from $2,300 billion to $5,200 billion in 2008 and $6,500 billion in 2011. This is mainly the case for large firms but small companies still have in terms of viability. ILO director-general, Guy Ryder, explained that the situation emerging in some European countries is having a significant impact on the “economic and social fabric”. (IL/transl.fl)