Global youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025, leaving about 67 million people aged 15 to 24 without work, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026: Back to the Future report also found that the share of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) increased to 20%, affecting more than 257 million people globally.
The ILO attributed the worsening employment outlook to weak economic growth and sluggish job creation, which are making it increasingly difficult for young people to secure jobs.
Some of the sharpest increases in youth unemployment were recorded in higher-income economies, where changing labour markets and shrinking opportunities are making the transition into working life more difficult.
Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment increased in eight of the world's 11 subregions. The ILO attributed the worsening outlook to slowing economic growth, weak job creation, geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change.
The ILO said the situation risks leaving a generation without the economic security needed to establish stable lives.
“A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence. 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,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo.
Northern America recorded a sharp increase in youth unemployment, rising from 8.3% in 2023 to 9.8% in 2025.
In Northern, Southern and Western Europe, youth unemployment remained at 15% in 2025, with 20 of the 29 countries in the subregion reporting weaker job opportunities for young people.
The report said the decline of middle-skilled jobs is making it increasingly difficult for young workers to secure stable career paths.
Clerical and administrative positions, service and sales jobs, manufacturing-related occupations and some technical roles that traditionally provided entry points into employment are shrinking.
In developing economies, the main challenge is creating enough decent jobs to accommodate rapidly growing young populations.
The report explained that low unemployment rates in some countries can conceal widespread insecurity because young people who cannot afford to remain unemployed often turn to informal or unstable work.
Nearly nine in 10 young workers aged 15 to 29 in low- and lower-middle-income countries are employed informally, limiting their access to stable incomes and social protection.
Sub-Saharan Africa faces particularly strong demographic pressures alongside insufficient decent employment opportunities, increasing the number of young people entering "Not in Employment, Education or Training" (NEET) status.
The Arab States and Northern Africa recorded the highest youth unemployment rates in 2025, at 26.2% and 22.6%, respectively. In both regions, at least one in three young people were not in employment, education or training.
The ILO report also highlighted the growing influence of artificial intelligence and other technological changes on youth employment.
It estimates that 6.1% of jobs held by young people aged 15 to 29 are in occupations highly exposed to AI-related changes. Many of these jobs overlap with middle-skilled occupations that have declined since 2023, particularly clerical and administrative positions.
At the same time, demand is growing for some knowledge-based technical occupations in areas including science, health and engineering.
“There is increasing noise around AI. While the direct impact on jobs is still unclear, we must not be complacent and underestimate the risks. We need to step up our investment in skills, lifelong learning and social protection so that young people can adapt to change and seize new opportunities. Technological progress, including AI, must work for young people, not against them.”
The ILO is calling for greater investment in quality education, lifelong learning and apprenticeships, stronger employment services, expanded social protection and policies that create more decent jobs.
It also recommends a human-centred approach to AI governance to ensure technological innovation creates opportunities rather than deepening inequality.