According to the United Nations, the youth unemployment rate in the world has been reported to rise. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the rate has risen from 12.3% in 2024 to 12.4% in 2025, meaning that about 67 million youths aged between 15 and 24 years have not been able to get work.
UN: Global Youth Unemployment Rate Rises Last Year
According to the ILO, the temporary recovery of the youth employment situation following the COVID-19 pandemic has been reversed. According to the report, there was a small increase in the number of young people who are neither employed nor in education or training programs, and they were about 20%.
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AI Adds to Young People’s Job Concerns
In addition to this, the ILO report named “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026” studied the impact of innovation on the labor market. It can be seen that quite many youth are scared about being deprived of their job opportunities by the advent of AI. The same thing could also be true about their ability to earn money through it.
However, experts say it is too soon to blame artificial intelligence for the rise in youth unemployment. As per Sukti Dasgupta, who works for the ILO, there is still a need to prove such a connection. Moreover, the World Bank Group highlighted slow global economic growth, a lack of new jobs, geopolitical instability, and rapid technological innovations as major challenges in the current situation.
Entry-Level Jobs Are Declining
Some jobs that often help young people start their careers have become less common. Such occupations include office and administration occupations, sales occupations, and manufacturing occupations.
ILO has cautioned that young people should be able to gain access to good jobs in order to build their future safely. Lack of good employment opportunities for the youth can also lead to the loss of skills and talent of the country.
Youth Unemployment Trends by Region
There were notable hikes in youth unemployment levels in northern Africa, northern America, and northern, southern, and western Europe. On the other hand, there was a drop in youth unemployment levels in central and western Asia and eastern Europe. Youth unemployment levels fell, but the number of young people not in education, employment, or training increased, highlighting the need for more youth employment opportunities.
There were drops in both youth unemployment and NEET in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The ILO attributed this drop to the decline in youth population size. Unemployment rates of youth were the highest in the Arab states and northern Africa at 26.2 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively. This, according to the International Labor Organization, was an indication of how difficult it was for youths, particularly the female gender, to access productive employment.
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Youth Job Outlook for 2026 and 2027
According to the ILO, the global youth unemployment rate will remain at 12.3% in both 2026 and 2027. The ILO warns that rising unemployment and NEET rates together could serve as a major red flag. First released in 2004, the report contains annual data on trends related to youth employment worldwide. Youth continue to face difficulties when going through the process of transition from education to work. News source eTimes Pakistan.
