Youth Employment

Key message

Youth around the world today are facing a future more challenging than ever before.

Education has always been critical for improving young people’s chances of decent work and social mobility. Equipping youth with the skills necessary to adapt to any future transition is a critical task of formal and informal education. As the global economy continues to shift towards high-skilled industries, there is a growing mismatch between what education provides and the skills required by the workforce. Without the necessary skills and qualifications, many young people will be vulnerable to a lifetime of underemployment, lack of decent work opportunities, and major impacts on their families’ health, education and life outcomes.

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Key challenges

The percentage of the total labour force that were unemployed youth was 15.6% in 2022.
(ILO, 2023)
Young people are more likely to be unemployed. Young people in the labour force are three times as likely as adults to be unemployed.
(ILO, 2023)
Decent work is not available for many young people. Even among employed youth, 30% are living in extreme to moderate poverty with an income below US$3.20 per day, signaling the lack of decent work.
(ILO, 2020)
Informal work is on the rise. In 2016, three in four young workers worldwide participated in informal employment, ranging from the informal agricultural economy in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia to the gig economy in wealthier European countries.
(ILO, 2020)
Youth are particularly vulnerable to automation. In OECD countries, the risk of job displacement is highest for youth because they are more likely to be in occupations with the highest probability of automation.
(ILO, 2020) (Nedelkoska & Quintini, 2018)
Many youth are not satisfied with the education and training they are currently receiving. In a global survey of 531 youth in 2018, 39% reported that their formal school did not prepare them with the skills they needed for the jobs they wanted.
(Deloitte & GBCEd, 2018)
The global learning crisis is a critical barrier to youth employment. 69% of youth in low-income countries will not attain basic primary level skills by 2030.
(Deloitte & GBCEd, 2018)
As digital skills become essential for the future of work, the gender gap persists. In the European Union in 2016, only one in six students in information and communications technology (ICT) were female.
(ILO, 2020)
The COVID-19 crisis worsened the labour market challenges faced by young people. From 2019-2020, those aged 15-24 years experienced a much higher percentage loss in employment than adults. Lost education at primary and secondary level due to COVID could jeopardise future enrolment in tertiary education.
(ILO, 2022)
The rate of unemployment is particularly significant among young women. Young women have a much lower employment to population ratio than young men. Young men were almost 1.5 times more likely than young women to be employed in 2022.
(ILO, 2022)

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The percentage of the total labour force that were unemployed youth was 15.6% in 2022.

Source: (ILO, 2023)

Young people are more likely to be unemployed.
Young people in the labour force are three times as likely as adults to be unemployed.
Source: (ILO, 2023)

Decent work is not available for many young people.
Even among employed youth, 30% are living in extreme to moderate poverty with an income below US$3.20 per day, signaling the lack of decent work.
Source: (ILO, 2020)

Informal work is on the rise.
In 2016, three in four young workers worldwide participated in informal employment, ranging from the informal agricultural economy in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia to the gig economy in wealthier European countries.
Source: (ILO, 2020)

Youth are particularly vulnerable to automation.
In OECD countries, the risk of job displacement is highest for youth because they are more likely to be in occupations with the highest probability of automation.
Sources: (ILO, 2020) (Nedelkoska & Quintini, 2018)

Many youth are not satisfied with the education and training they are currently receiving.
In a global survey of 531 youth in 2018, 39% reported that their formal school did not prepare them with the skills they needed for the jobs they wanted.
Source: (Deloitte & GBCEd, 2018)

The global learning crisis is a critical barrier to youth employment.
69% of youth in low-income countries will not attain basic primary level skills by 2030.
Source: (Deloitte & GBCEd, 2018)

As digital skills become essential for the future of work, the gender gap persists.
In the European Union in 2016, only one in six students in information and communications technology (ICT) were female.
Source: (ILO, 2020)

The COVID-19 crisis worsened the labour market challenges faced by young people.
From 2019-2020, those aged 15-24 years experienced a much higher percentage loss in employment than adults. Lost education at primary and secondary level due to COVID could jeopardise future enrolment in tertiary education.
Source: (ILO, 2022)

The rate of unemployment is particularly significant among young women.
Young women have a much lower employment to population ratio than young men. Young men were almost 1.5 times more likely than young women to be employed in 2022.
Source: (ILO, 2022)

Make the case

Education must adapt to future trends and be relevant for the world of work. Around two billion jobs, or half of jobs available in the world today, are expected to disappear by 2030 due to automation. The most vulnerable countries could lose as much as 80% of jobs.
(International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, 2016)
Higher levels of education reduce employment vulnerability. In 27 low- to upper-middle income countries, eight out of 10 young people with a higher education degree were in non-vulnerable employment.
(Sparreboom & Staneva, 2014)
The quality of education and learning must improve dramatically to ensure that young people are better equipped for the workforce. More than 600 million children around the world who are in school are not on track to learn the skills they need to thrive in the future.
(Education Commission, 2019)
A major increase in investment in education and training is necessary to unlock the full potential of the global labour force. Currently 2/3 of the global youth labour force remain without a basic set of skills. This restricts their labour market opportunities and pushes them towards lower quality forms of employment.
(ILO, 2023)
To adequately prepare youth for future employment, education needs to provide not just knowledge but also life skills. Socio-emotional skills have been shown to be a more powerful predictor of earnings, over and above the effects of schooling and cognitive skills.
(World Bank, 2018)
In Uganda, with a higher level of education are more likely to work for a wage or salary with an employer. In Uganda, self-employment and work as an unpaid family member are more likely among workers who have a low level of education. Also, 3 in 4 workers with a higher education receive sick leave and annual leave and more than 1 in 2 benefits from social security contributions. At most 1 in 10 workers with only their primary education completed receive such benefits.
(UNESCO, 2023)

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Education must adapt to future trends and be relevant for the world of work.
Around two billion jobs, or half of jobs available in the world today, are expected to disappear by 2030 due to automation. The most vulnerable countries could lose as much as 80% of jobs.
Source: (International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, 2016)

Higher levels of education reduce employment vulnerability.
In 27 low- to upper-middle income countries, eight out of 10 young people with a higher education degree were in non-vulnerable employment.
Source: (Sparreboom & Staneva, 2014)

The quality of education and learning must improve dramatically to ensure that young people are better equipped for the workforce.
More than 600 million children around the world who are in school are not on track to learn the skills they need to thrive in the future.
Source: (Education Commission, 2019)

A major increase in investment in education and training is necessary to unlock the full potential of the global labour force.
Currently 2/3 of the global youth labour force remain without a basic set of skills. This restricts their labour market opportunities and pushes them towards lower quality forms of employment.
Source: (ILO, 2023)

To adequately prepare youth for future employment, education needs to provide not just knowledge but also life skills.
Socio-emotional skills have been shown to be a more powerful predictor of earnings, over and above the effects of schooling and cognitive skills.
Source: (World Bank, 2018)

In Uganda, with a higher level of education are more likely to work for a wage or salary with an employer.
In Uganda, self-employment and work as an unpaid family member are more likely among workers who have a low level of education. Also, 3 in 4 workers with a higher education receive sick leave and annual leave and more than 1 in 2 benefits from social security contributions. At most 1 in 10 workers with only their primary education completed receive such benefits.
Source: (UNESCO, 2023)

Key opinion

Guy Ryder

Under-Secretary-General for Policy at the United Nations

Education and training are the keys to unlock opportunities for women and men to gain employment, launch businesses and create better lives for themselves and their families. As we work to build a better and more resilient future after the COVID-19 pandemic, we must ensure quality education systems that are accessible to all.

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Key talking points

With automation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact of Covid-19, many jobs will disappear or become obsolete, but at the same time many new jobs will be created.
Education can provide quality, inclusive learning opportunities to develop relevant skills for the future of work.
On current trends, more than half of all young people will not have basic skills for the workforce in 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than one in five young people will be prepared for the future of work.
There are more young people today than ever before.

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