Unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean region fell by 0.6 percent to 7.5 percent in 2010, according to a joint report issued Friday by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Thanks to a 6-percent economic growth rate last year, unemployment is expected to fall further by 0.2-0.4 percent this year, the report said.
However, the employment situation in the region is still quite uneven, which would hurt job growth in the long run, it said.
ECLAC executive secretary Alicia Barcena and the ILO's director for the region Jean Maninat said countries in the region should strengthen their macroeconomic policies and improve political coordination at regional and global levels.
The report also noted regional challenges in transforming development modes with a view to achieving sustainable economic growth.
"If the region focuses on the topic through social dialogue and the appropriate public policies, there are opportunities for creating more jobs...the building of bigger equality levels and the protection of the environment," it added.