Recovery in youth employment is still lagging, says ILO

11 August 2022

GENEVA (ILO News) – Recovery in youth employment is still lagging, according to a new report by the ILO, which confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt young people more than any other age group.

The Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022: Investing in transforming futures for young people  report finds that the pandemic has exacerbated the numerous labour market challenges facing those aged between 15 and 24 years, who have experienced a much higher percentage loss in employment than adults since early 2020. The total global number of unemployed youths is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, a slight improvement from 2021 (75 million) but still six million above the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

The report shows large regional differences in young people's prospects in the labour market. High income countries are the only ones expected to achieve youth unemployment rates close to those of 2019 by the end of 2022, while in the other country income groups, the rates are projected to remain more than 1 percentage point above their pre-crisis values, says the report.

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