ILO report paints a grim picture of youth employment prospects

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report titled 'Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026: Back to the Future' which paints a bleak picture of youth employment prospects post-COVID-19. The report, released in Geneva on August 12, 2026, reveals that the recovery in youth labour markets has stalled. Youth unemployment rate, which reached 12.4% in 2025, stands at 67 million unemployed young people globally - an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the lowest level seen in over two decades in 2023.

The global share of youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET) has also risen to 20% in 2025 from 19.7% in 2023, increasing the NEET count to 257 million in 2025 from 248 million in 2023. The report notes that this increasing trend in NEET rate is especially worrying as many more young people are disengaged. The highest increases in youth unemployment were witnessed in Northern Africa, Northern America, Western Europe, and Central and Western Asia.

While lower-middle-income and low-income countries also witnessed an increase in youth unemployment, the decline in these regions was overshadowed by the rise in NEET status. The NEET challenge disproportionately affects women as more than two-thirds of youth in NEET status in 2025 were women. Young women's NEET rate was 27.4%, double that of young men's 13.1%.

ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo commented that a generation unable to find decent work cannot build its future with confidence, emphasizing that creating decent jobs for young people is crucial for social cohesion and productivity.