Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013

A generation at risk

  1. Download the report

    Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013: A generation at risk

    (Full report 161 pages - pdf 5.6 MB)

    The new study examines 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.

Trends explained

  1. Sara Elder and Theodore Sparreboom, ILO Senior Labour Economists, and authors of the report explain its findings.

Key findings

  1. Youth jobs’ gains wiped out by slow recovery

    1. The long-term impact of the youth employment crisis could be felt for decades.
    2. 73.4 million young people – 12.6 % – are expected to be out of work in 2013, an increase of 3.5 million between 2007 and 2013.
    3. Behind this worsening figure, the report shows persistent unemployment, a proliferation of temporary jobs and growing youth discouragement in advanced economies; and poor quality, informal, subsistence jobs in developing countries.

From school to work...

  1. Informal, poorly paid and unemployed: The reality of work for most youth in developing countries

    School-to-work transition surveys of developing countries show that youth are far more likely to land low quality jobs in the informal economy than jobs paying decent wages and offering benefits. Access to education and training remains a major stumbling block.

In the developing world

  1. Reporting from Malawi and Zambia

Good practices

  1. Sweden tackles youth unemployment through jobs guarantees

Policy recommendations

  1. A global framework is needed to tackle the youth jobs crisis

    Video interview with Gianni Rosas, coordinator of the ILO's Youth Employment Programme

    The ILO urges policy makers to work together with social partners to address this alarming situation.

  2. The ILO's call for action

    The ILO provides a portfolio of tried and tested measures in five areas: macro-economic policies, employability, labour market policies, youth entrepreneurship and rights.