Youth employment

The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis: young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and over 75 million youth worldwide are looking for work. The ILO has warned of a “scarred” generation of young workers facing a dangerous mix of high unemployment, increased inactivity and precarious work in developed countries, as well as persistently high working poverty in the developing world.

The ILO's programme on youth employment operates through a global network of technical teams at its headquarters in Geneva and in more than 60 offices around the world. It provides assistance to countries in developing coherent and coordinated interventions on youth employment. This integrated approach combines macro-economic policies and targeted measures which address labour demand and supply, as well as the quantity and quality of employment.

Key resources

Youth employment crisis: ILO call for action

In June 2012, the ILO adopted a Resolution calling for immediate, targeted and renewed action to tackle the youth employment crisis. The resolution provides a portfolio of tested measures in five areas: macro-economic policies, employability, labour market policies, youth entrepreneurship and rights.

1. Resource guide on Youth employment

Global Employment Trends for Youth - 2013

Report

A generation at risk

The ILO study on the continuing job crisis affecting young people in many parts of the world. It provides updated statistics on global and regional youth unemployment rates and presents ILO policy recommendations to curb the current trends.

Latest

ILO Blog

The journey of a young entrepreneur in Zambia

20 May 2013

After receiving entrepreneurship training as part of ILO’s Youth Employment Project in Zambia, Mutoba Ngoma went from being unemployed to starting his own successful bio-fuel company.
Asia-Pacific YouthNet Talk show

The new youth opportunities in Myanmar

15 May 2013

Listen to Steve Marshal, the ILO liaison officer in Yangon, and Sandar Soe, from the FTUB trade union federation, talk about the challenges and opportunities young workers are facing as the country undergoes a period of gradual reforms.
Video

Denmark - Matching skills to jobs

08 May 2013

Recovery in Europe is being hampered by the fact that many of the workers who lost their jobs to the crisis do not have the skills that the labour market now demands. Vocational training programmes help keep youth connected to the labour market by ensuring they have the skills that companies are looking for.
Youth Guarantees

Sweden tackles youth unemployment through jobs guarantees

08 May 2013

It's not easy being a young jobseeker today. With nearly 74 million young people worldwide unemployed, youth guarantees programmes help keep youth connected to the labour market by boosting skills and giving them support to find jobs.
Global Employment Trends 2013 Report

Policies for youth employment: A global framework to tackle the youth jobs crisis

08 May 2013

The current jobs crisis has hit young people especially hard. The ILO urges policy makers to work together with social partners to address this alarming situation. The 2013 edition of the ILO's Global Employment Trends for Youth report analyses a number of key policies and action that can be taken. Gianni Rosas, coordinator of the ILO Youth Employment Programme and co-author of the Report, calls for "a strong focus on growth and jobs, including through a more coordinated macroeconomic response at national and global levels".