Youth Unemployment Report

ZURICH (Reuters) – Youth unemployment worldwide dipped to a 15-year low last year and is expected to continue falling through 2025, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) report published on Monday.

The ILO reported that 64.9 million people aged 15 to 24 were unemployed last year, reflecting a rate of 13%. This is projected to decrease to 12.8% in 2024 and 2025.

The improvement is attributed to strong economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased demand for youth labor. However, youth unemployment rates have not returned to pre-pandemic levels in all regions.

In particular, young people in the Arab States, East Asia, and South-East Asia faced higher unemployment rates last year compared to 2019, with the Arab States continuing a pre-COVID trend and Asian subregions showing a shift from prior growth.

The ILO also expressed concerns over Africa’s demographic trends, highlighting the region’s younger population and the impending ‘youthquake,’ which underscores the necessity for job creation to ensure social justice and future economic sustainability.