Youth employment
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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

  1. 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. ILO Global Employment Trends for Youth

    The global youth unemployment rate for 2012 remains stuck at crisis peak levels and is not expected to come down until at least 2016.

    1. Resource guide on Youth employment

Watch and participate

  1. Youth guarantees in Asia-Pacific: Opportunities and challenge
    Talk show organized by APYouthNet and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

    1. Join the online discussion on youth guarantee scheme

Latest

  1. Press release

    Germany contributes €650,000 to the Youth Employment Network

    14 December 2012

    Contribution will fund a round of the Youth to Youth Fund in Togo for the period of 2013-2014.

  2. Publication

    A better future for young people: What cooperatives can offer

    11 December 2012

    Information brief on cooperatives

  3. Partnership agreements

    ILO, Russian Federation sign key agreements

    11 December 2012

    The ILO and the Russian Federation have launched a new and strategic era of cooperation with the signing of three key agreements.

  4. Document

    Overview of Apprenticeship Systems and Issues - ILO contribution to the G20 Task Force on Employment

    04 December 2012

    This paper is one of more than twelve research papers to be prepared under an ILO interdepartmental research project, "Working conditions, Safety and Health, Skills and Productivity in SMEs".

  5. Press release

    Denmark and ILO team up to advance youth employment in Egypt

    06 November 2012

    Denmark donates US$1.6 million to finance the first phase of two youth employment projects in Egypt.

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