The United Nations agency’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026 report found that progress made after the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to reverse, preventing millions of young people from securing a crucial first job.
Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 reached a two-decade low in 2023 before rising in 2025.
The number of young people not in employment, education or training also grew from 19.7% in 2023 to 20% in 2025, representing 257 million people worldwide.
ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo warned that exclusion from decent employment damages both young people and national economies. “A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence,” Houngbo said.
“When young people are locked out of quality employment, countries lose talent, productivity and social cohesion. Creating decent jobs for young people is not just a social imperative; it is one of the smartest investments a country can make.”
Youth unemployment increased or remained unchanged in eight of 11 global subregions between 2023 and 2025. Unemployment rose in 105 countries and declined in 58.
The Arab States recorded the highest youth unemployment rate at 26.2%, followed by North Africa at 22.6%.
North America recorded the sharpest increase, with youth unemployment rising from 8.3% in 2023 to 9.8% in 2025.
Northern, Southern and Western Europe recorded smaller increases, but the combined youth unemployment rate remained high at 15%.
In sub-Saharan Africa, employment creation is failing to keep pace with a rapidly growing youth population. Nearly nine in 10 workers aged 15 to 29 in low- and lower-middle-income countries are employed informally, often without reliable incomes or meaningful social protection.
The ILO identified slow global growth, geopolitical tensions, artificial intelligence (AI), limited growth in skilled employment and employer demands for experience in entry-level positions as key challenges.
About 6.1% of jobs held by people aged 15 to 29 are in occupations highly exposed to AI-related changes, particularly clerical and administrative roles.
“Technological progress, including AI, must work for young people, not against them,” ILO Employment, Skills and Sustainable Enterprises Department Director Sukti Dasgupta said.
The report called for human-centred AI governance, quality education, stronger employment services, expanded social protection and greater investment in decent jobs.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
