The World Employment Report 2004 examines the interrelationship between employment creation, productivity growth, and poverty reduction, exploring key issues relevant to the debate. It investigates whether gains in productivity lead to employment losses and, if so, the conditions under which this might occur. Given that productivity growth assumes a certain amount of flexibility of the labor force, this book also examines how a particular degree of employment stability can be maintained without sacrificing long-term growth. Here, social dialogue plays a central role in maintaining the balance between economic and social objectives. The volume shows that bridging the "global productivity divide, " particularly in parts of the economy where the majority of people work-such as in agriculture, small-scale enterprises, or the urban informal economy-is essential for fighting poverty and stimulating growth in both output and "decent and productive" employment. The World Employment Report 2004 is the fifth in a series of ILO reports that offer a global perspective on current employment issues. The report is accompanied by a CD-ROM which includes: . Searchable statistical data . PDF versions of the report in English, French, and Spanish . A full set of background papers