Overview
- The International Labour Organization reported on Wednesday that global youth unemployment climbed to 12.4% in 2025, equal to about 67 million 15‑to‑24‑year‑olds, reversing earlier post‑pandemic gains.
- The share of young people not in employment, education or training rose to about 20%, representing roughly 257–260 million people and signaling growing disengagement from both work and training.
- The ILO found a hollowing out of middle‑skill entry jobs such as clerical, sales, administrative and many manufacturing roles, which reduces common first‑job routes and lengthens job queues for secondary‑educated youth.
- The agency estimated 6.1% of jobs held by 15‑ to 29‑year‑olds are in occupations most exposed to AI and modelled that a 10% disappearance of those roles could affect about 5.6 million young workers, mainly in high‑income countries.
- The report warns that weaker growth, geopolitical tensions and widespread informality—with nearly nine in ten young workers in low‑income countries lacking social protection—mean policymakers must expand lifelong learning, strengthen employment services and adopt human‑centred AI policies to prevent deeper inequality.