Insecurity, inequality and distrust at core of global social crisis

Billions of people around the world are living in fear of job loss or struggling to find work, as economic instability, conflict, and climate shocks combine to erode global security, a new UN report has warned.

According to the World Social Report 2025 launched on Thursday, the sobering sentiment indicates a widespread lack of confidence in the future.

Despite people living longer, being better educated and more connected than ever before, many believe that life today is worse than it was 50 years ago.

Close to 60 per cent of people surveyed on life satisfaction reported that they were "struggling" with a further 12 per cent describing themselves as "suffering", the report notes.

According to the report, economic instability is no longer limited to the world's poorest regions.

Even in high-income countries, rising job uncertainty, gig work and the digital transition are contributing to this trend.

These jobs may offer flexibility but often come at the cost of security and rights – reducing workers to mere service providers in a commodified labour market.

The insecurities are further compounded by an alarming rise in informal employment. In many low and middle-income countries, jobs with no safety net remains the norm, locking workers into cycles of low pay, instability, and zero benefits.

Even those who manage to enter formal employment face significant risks of being pushed back into the informal sector, especially during downturns.