Youth unemployment is rising around the world, while getting decent work is becoming harder for millions of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youth unemployment is rising around the world, while access to decent work is becoming harder for millions of them. According to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), slowing growth, weak job creation, geopolitical tensions, and technological changes are weakening the prospects for a generation struggling to enter the job market in a lasting way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The global youth unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds reached 12.4% in 2025, which is around 67 million young people without a job, according to the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026 report: Back to the Future. At the same time, the share of young people who are neither in employment, education, nor training (NEET) has slightly increased, to 20%, representing more than 257 million people.Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment increased in eight out of eleven subregions of the world. Some of the most significant rises were recorded in high-income economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“A generation that can’t access decent work can’t build its future with confidence. When young people are excluded from quality jobs, countries lose talent, productivity, and social cohesion,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Creating decent jobs for young people isn’t just a social imperative, it’s also one of the smartest investments a country can make,” he added.Rich economies also affected
In North America, the youth unemployment rate went from 8.3% in 2023 to 9.8% in 2025. In Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, it stayed high, reaching 15% in 2025. Twenty of the 29 countries in this subregion saw worsening job prospects for young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ILO specifically notes the decline of many mid-skilled jobs that traditionally served as a first step into working life. Office and administrative jobs, service and sales roles, some manufacturing jobs, and several technical professions are all decreasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This trend could make it harder for young people to access stable jobs and build careers with real growth opportunities.In Lima, Peru, a baker arranges pastries on a tray in a professional kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Informal work dominates in poor countries
In developing economies, the issue is different: the main challenge is to create enough decent jobs for a rapidly growing young population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Low unemployment rates often mask a more precarious reality. Unable to stay unemployed, many young people turn to the informal economy, where incomes are less stable and social protection is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly nine out of ten young workers aged 15 to 29 in low-income and lower-middle-income countries have informal jobs.Sub-Saharan Africa is facing particularly strong demographic pressures, while the number of decent jobs available remains insufficient. This situation is leading to more and more young people ending up without work, education, or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Arab states and North Africa, on the other hand, continue to record the highest youth unemployment rates in the world: 26.2% in the Arab states and 22.6% in North Africa in 2025. In both regions, at least one in three young people was NEET.A group of young men in Hargeisa, Somalia. In developing economies, many young people have no choice but to turn to the informal economy.
AI is already changing the job market.
The rapid advances in artificial intelligence are another source of uncertainty. According to the ILO, 6.1% of jobs held by young people aged 15 to 29 are in occupations highly exposed to AI-related changes.
This includes many administrative and office jobs, which are already declining. On the other hand, demand is growing in certain technical and highly skilled professions, especially in science, health, and engineering.”While its direct impact on employment remains uncertain, we must neither be complacent nor underestimate the risks,” said Sukti Dasgupta, Director of the ILO’s Employment, Skills and Sustainable Enterprises Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UN agency thus calls for increased investment in education, vocational training, lifelong learning, and public employment services, in order to help young people adapt to changes in the labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also advocates for better social protection, respect for labor rights, and economic policies capable of creating more decent jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the ILO, the issue goes beyond just unemployment: it\u2019s about ensuring that young people have jobs that offer security, dignity, and real prospects as they step into adult life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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