Global youth unemployment rises amid sluggish job creation and looming AI risk, UN labour agency says

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) reported that global youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025, up from 12.3% in 2023, impacting 67 million young people worldwide. This increase follows a post-COVID-19 period of improvement and signals a worsening situation in terms of both job quantity and quality for young workers. The share of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) also climbed to 20%, or more than 257 million individuals.

Youth unemployment increased in eight out of the world's 11 subregions between 2023 and 2025, with the highest rates observed in the Arab States (26.2%) and North Africa (22.6%). North America also saw a significant rise in youth unemployment, reaching 9.8% in 2025, up from 8.3% in 2023. The ILO emphasized the decline of middle-skilled jobs, which traditionally served as entry points for young people transitioning from secondary school or university.

With the emergence of AI, 6.1% of jobs held by individuals aged 15 to 29 are at risk of being affected by AI-related changes. If a mere 10% of these jobs are lost, approximately 5.6 million young workers, primarily in high-income countries, could face unemployment, career shifts, or exit the labor force. While the high-skilled sector continues to grow in most countries, many young workers in developing economies are forced into precarious employment due to the lack of affordability for prolonged unemployment.

Almost nine out of ten young workers in low- and lower-middle-income countries remain in informal employment, lacking essential labor and social protections.