Treasurer Wayne Swan says Australia will continue to pursue an economic and jobs growth agenda when it takes over the chair of the Group of 20 nations next year.

Mr Swan is attending a G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Russia this weekend where he will also push for the closure of loopholes used by multinational companies to reduce tax.

The treasurer believes the global recovery is now at a critical point, after slumping in the years after the global financial crisis, and is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for 2013.

"It's been a better start to the year than we thought it might be, but it will take the combined efforts of all G20 nations to continue our momentum," Mr Swan will tell his international counterparts in Moscow on Saturday (AEDT time).

The overriding priority must be to support growth and jobs to cement a sustained recovery.

"The fact there are still nearly 200 million people without jobs around the (developed) world is a blight on our global society," he will say.

He welcomed the commitment by this year's G20 chair, Russia, to focus on jobs and growth, and reinforced Australia's commitment to the same agenda in 2014.

But G20 governments also need to pursue responsible medium-term budget frameworks.

"A strong budget is critical to supporting the investments needed to boost growth, along with structural reforms to create a more dynamic and resilient economy," Mr Swan will say.

Ms Swan also notes a renewed global push to tackle climate change among countries, such as the US where President Barack Obama has called on the US congress to pursue a market-based solution.

Mr Swan will also raise the need for the G20 to address the "unscrupulous behaviour" of multinational companies avoiding tax payments.

"This hurts us all," he will say.

"Across the world, a small number of profitable multinational companies are exploiting differences in global taxation regimes to effectively pay no tax."