Most young workers still lack social protection and remain in temporary jobs, making it difficult for them to advance in their careers. ILO: Youth unemployment falls to 15-year low, but inequality persists Economic development
The number of unemployed young people worldwide is at its lowest level in 15 years, but the post-pandemic economic recovery has not borne fruit for people in the Asia-Pacific and Arab States, especially for young women, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported on Monday.
“Demographic trends, in particular the youth bulge in Africa, mean that creating enough decent jobs will be critical for social justice and the global economy,” said ILO experts, who cited new data on the global labour market in a report released on Monday, International Youth Day.
“Millions of young people around the world are missing out on decent work,” – the ILO stressed, adding that while global youth unemployment fell to 13 percent in 2023 and is expected to fall further, this trend is not evident everywhere.
“In East Asia (up 4.3 percent), the Arab States (up 1 percent) and South-East Asia and the Pacific (up 1 percent), youth unemployment continues to rise,” said Sarah Elder, Chief of the ILO’s Employment Analysis and Public Policy Branch.
Lack of Opportunity
Equally alarming is the fact that last year, more than twenty percent of young people were either not in work, education or training. According to Elder, this problem affects young women more often than men.
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Another trend in the youth labour market is that, according to the ILO, it is now more difficult than ever to find decent and stable work. Last year, nearly 65 million young people were out of work.
An Unfair Market
“The majority of young workers still lack social protection and remain in temporary jobs, making it difficult for them to advance in their careers,” Elder said.
Only a quarter of young workers in low-income countries are estimated to have stable, permanent jobs, compared with three-quarters in richer countries. Despite their high levels of education, most of today’s youth fear losing their jobs, the ILO said.
Unemployment rates among young women and men were almost equal in 2023 (12.9 percent and 13 percent, respectively), compared with higher rates among young men in pre-pandemic years. Yet in 2023, more than twice as many girls as boys were not in employment, education or training – 28.1 percent compared to 13.1 percent.
Unequal chances
“Opportunities for young people are extremely unequal: many young women, young people with limited financial resources or from minorities continue to face disadvantage,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. – Without equal opportunities for education and decent work, millions of young people are missing out on a better future.”
The ILO chief stressed that “none of us can hope for a sustainable future as long as millions of young people around the world do not have decent work and, as a result, feel insecure and unable to build better lives for themselves and their families.”