The dichotomy of youth labour markets in developed and developing economies

(Mouse over the charts to see the data)


*The chart compares data on youth labour market situations regular and irregular employment, unemployment (relaxed definition) and inactivity in four least-developed countries (LDCs) – Cambodia, Liberia, Malawi and Togo – and four high-income European countries Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

A more detailed disaggregation

The charts below compares the youth population distribution in these countries according to the traditional and the alternative -more detailed- labour market frameworks.


The chart on the left shows the traditional distribution of the youth population by current activity status (employed, unemployed or inactive) while the right one presents a more detailed disaggregation of the youth population in the following four categories:

• regular employment, defined as wage and salaried workers holding a contract of unlimited duration (in the case of high-income countries) or a contract of duration greater than 12 months (in the case of the LDCs) plus self-employed youth with employees (employers);
• irregular employment, defined as wage and salaried workers holding a contract of limited duration, i.e. set to terminate after a period of time (less than 12 months in the case of the LDCs and undefined in the case of the high-income economies), self-employed youth with no employees (own-account workers) and contributing family workers;
• unemployed (relaxed definition), defined as persons currently without work and available to take up work in the week prior to the reference period;
• the residual inactive youth.

Levels of economic development are strongly reflected in the shares of youth in irregular employment and inactivity.