Employment outcomes in developing countries did not show improvements in the first quarter of 2013. Although there was a small acceleration in the median growth rate of wages, in sharp contrast to the dynamics observed during the first half of 2012, employment growth slowed down and the unemployment rate increased slightly.
Most of the slowdown in employment growth took place in Asia and in Latin America. Even in countries where employment continued to expand—Brazil, Turkey, and Romania—either the unemployment rate increased or wages fell. This can be explained in part by the slowdown in economic growth starting in the second half of 2012. The weak global recovery and uncertainty during the first half of 2013 regarding fiscal and monetary policies in the United States and Europe could aggravate current trends.