A Generation in transition: Rethinking youth employment in the Caribbean

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (ILO News) - August 12 marked International Youth Day, a global observance established by the United Nations since 2000 to spotlight the vital role of young people in shaping our world. The theme for 2025, “Local youth actions for SDGs and beyond”, highlighted the important role of young people in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Youth issues are woven throughout the SDGs, with more than 43 youth-specific indicators tracking progress. Under SDG 8, which targets decent work and economic growth, three key youth-focused indicators stand out: youth unemployment; youth neither in employment, education, or training (NEET); and informal employment.

The numbers tell a story

Youth participation in the Caribbean’s labour force has declined from 39.2 per cent in 2000 to 36.4 per cent in 2024. Optimists might see a silver lining: young people are staying in school longer, potentially building a more skilled workforce. Pessimists, however, warn of growing discouragement and a generation dropping out of the labour market entirely.

Youth are far more likely to be unemployed than persons aged 25+. In 2024, the youth unemployment rate across the Caribbean (excluding Haiti) stood at 17.6 per cent, compared to 4.7 per cent for adults. Factor in Haiti, and youth unemployment spikes drastically to 30.5 per cent. While the youth unemployment rate peaked at around 23.5 per cent during the height of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, the current figures still reflect a persistent challenge. This problem hits young women even harder, as women face unemployment rates 1.6 times greater than young men. The gap between youth and adult rates has marginally widened since 2010.

The NEET indicator paints another stark picture. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of Caribbean youth aged 15-24 (excluding Haiti) are not in education, employment, and training (NEET). This compares to a recent peak of 29 per cent in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. NEET rates are reflective of a lack of opportunities for young people, and can be associated with disengagement, alienation, and social unrest.

Rethinking solutions

Given these daunting statistics, optimism may be challenging but it is essential. To truly tackle youth employment challenges in the Caribbean, policymakers must rethink and reinvigorate their approach by focusing on four crucial strategies:

1. Craft tailored, data-driven youth employment policies. We must start with better data. Systematic collection and transparent reporting on youth employment statistics are critical. Evaluating the impact of existing labour market policies and programmes will allow for better identification of youth cohorts and the design of interventions that respond to their needs.
2. Integrate youth priorities across sectors. Jobs don’t grow in isolation. Integrated policies should ensure that sectoral and labour market policies responsible for creating jobs or transitioning workers into the labour market explicitly incorporate youth employment priorities.
3. Build stronger bridges between education and work. Education can’t be a waiting room for jobs; it must be a launchpad. Strengthening the link between education and employment is critical. Investing in vocational schools, forging partnerships between schools and local enterprises, and expanding apprenticeships will better equip young people with the skills that employers urgently need. These initiatives will require investment from both the public and private sectors. Eventually, governments should aim for deploying personalized plans to provide every young person with training or a job—something similar to “Youth Guarantees” adopted by the European Union.
4. Youth at the helm. Across all policy arenas, young people should be in the driver’s seat. Too often, decisions affecting the next generation are made without them, leaving policies out of step with their needs. Governments and institutions must promote and strengthen platforms for youth-inclusive social dialogue, ensuring that young voices are not just heard but actively shape the agenda.

The challenges facing young people in the Caribbean are daunting, but they are not insurmountable. With the right policies, stronger education-to-work pathways, and youth voices at the heart of decision-making, the region can turn today’s crisis into tomorrow’s opportunity.

Countries that invest in youth employment don’t just reduce joblessness, they also unlock sustained economic growth, stronger social cohesion, and a more resilient society.