The global total number of unemployed youth is expected to fall to 73 million in 2022, down two million from the previous year, according to a report by theInternational Labor Organization (OIT).
This figure represents a slight improvement compared to 2021 (75 million), but remains 6 million higher than the level of 2019, before the pandemic, indicates the ILO, on the occasion of International Youth Day.
Between 2019 and 2020, people aged 15 to 24 experienced a much higher percentage of job loss than the rest of the labor market, recalls the ILO, noting that the share of young people who have no employment, education or training (NEET) in 2020 – the latest year for which a global estimate is available – rose to 23.3%.
This is an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the previous year, a level which has not been reached for at least 15 years, adds the ILO.
”The Covid-19 crisis has revealed a number of shortcomings in the way the needs of young people are taken into account, in particular the most vulnerable such as new job seekers, school dropouts, young graduates with little experience and those who remain inactive not by choice,” said Martha NewtonILO Deputy Director General for Policy.
Among these young job seekers, women are less well off than young men. The report says 27.4% of young women are expected to work in 2022, compared to 40.3% of young men. This means that young men are almost 1.5 times more likely than young women to be employed.
Overall, the gender gap “has shown little sign of narrowing over the past two decades”.
Furthermore, the document shows large regional differences in the prospects of young people on the labor market. In Europe and Central Asia, the unemployment rate is expected to be 16.4%, ”but actual and potential shocks from the war in Ukraine are likely to affect results”.
In Asia and the Pacific, the rate is expected to match the global average of 14.9%. In Latin America, it is expected to reach a “worrying” 20.5%, while in North America the figure is expected to be 8.3%.
12.7%, youth unemployment rate in Africa
”In Africa, the youth unemployment rate of 12.7% masks the fact that many young people have chosen to withdraw completely from the labor market. More than one in five young people in Africa were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2020. The trend has deteriorated,” argued the ILO.
In total, the global youth unemployment rate is expected to reach 14.9% in 2022.
To alleviate this youth unemployment, the ILO says it is banking on “green and blue economies (sustainable ocean resources)”. According to the report, 8.4 million additional jobs for young people could be created by 2030 through the implementation of green and blue policy measures.
Broadband, a solution to youth unemployment
The report estimates that achieving universal broadband coverage by 2030 could lead to a net increase of 24 million new jobs worldwide, 6.4 million of which would be filled by young people.
The document also highlights that investments in the care sectors would create 17.9 million additional jobs for young people by 2030.
In total, the joint implementation of measures in favor of the environment, digital technology and care would make it possible to increase the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.2%. Such an orientation could also create 139 million additional jobs for workers of all ages worldwide, including 32 million for young people, according to the ILO.