As for South Asia, youth employment to population ratio in 2023 was 27.3 per cent which is to decline to 26.4 per cent in 2024, and 26.5 per cent in 2025. Youth employment in absolute number in the region was 99.9 million in 2023, which was to decline to 96.9 million in 2024 and to 97.2 million in 2025, which is bad news for the region.

The report has cautioned about the growing casualization of work for youth and about the widening gap in the supply of young graduates and the number of suitable jobs available. Millions of young people, primarily young women, are in NEET (Not in Education, Employment, and Training) status. There are mismatches between what is available and what is expected by young people in the labour market transitions, which can have important consequences, including costs to young people’s motivation levels and general well-being, the report warns.

Finally, the report stresses on inequalities of opportunity for young people. Based on where and to whom a child is born and the personal characteristics of birth, including gender, inequalities are still very real, if not worsening as a result of socio-economic, demographic and technological dichotomies.

ILO Assistant Director General, Jobs and Social Protection, Mia Seppo has said, “There can be no social justice when millions of young people around the world are missing out on the opportunities of productive and decent employment and are thus denied a chance at upward mobility for themselves and their families.”

The report contains a message to young people, “As we advocate for action on your behalf, please make sure your voice is raised as well, through the venues you have at your disposal. You have the possibility to influence policy and to advocate for decent work for all. Know your rights and continue investing in your skills. Remember that you are an example for other young people around the world. Be a part of the change that we all need to ensure a socially just and inclusive world.”

A serious concern is that an additionally 20 per cent of youth were not in NEET status. Two in three young NEETs globally are women, while one in three youth live in a country that is “off track” for SDG target 8.6 to reduce the share of young NEETs.

While in high-income countries, 4 in 5 young adult workers (aged 25-29) are in a regular paid job, in low-income countries it is just 1 in 5. About 63 per cent of youth were in school or training in high-income countries in 2023, while in low-income countries it was only 40 per cent.

The report notes five major global challenged – Lack of Jobs, Lack of decent jobs, Demographic Pressures, Educational mismatch, and Rising youth anxiety levels. It says that 2 in 3 young people were worried about losing their jobs. In developing countries, 2 in 3 young adult workers hold qualifications that do not match well to their job.

Talking about the demographic pressures, the report says that a growth of 76 million in youth labour force is expected in Africa by 2050, while all other regions face a contraction in young workers. There is a general lack of decent jobs, and the worst situation is in sub-Saharan Africa where 3 in 4 youth lack secure work. Similar is the case with lack of jobs, the worst situation being in Arab States and North Africa where 1 in 3 youth are unemployed.

The report talks about signs of growing levels of anxiety among young people about their future. Surveys highlighted in this report indicate that many young people today feel stressed about job loss and job stability, the state of the economy, a lack of social mobility across generations, and their prospects for eventual financial independence. Whether borne out by reality or not, young people’s perceptions about the future play a significant role in their personal well-being and motivation levels and in shaping their decisions about future educational, labour market and civic engagement.

To help ease youth anxieties, the report emphasized, institutions will need to guide young people through the complexities of the school-to-work and youth-to-adulthood transitions. Helping young people to keep their hopes alive must become a shared mission involving all segments of society.
The report says that young people in most regions have been unable to find secure work since the beginning of 21st century, and their chances of doing so decrease as the income level of the country decreases.

In low-income countries, only one in five young adults aged 25 to 29 manage to find a secure paid job (that is, a job with a paying employer and a contract greater than one year in duration). This picture has not changed much since the start of the millennium, beyond a slight decrease in the share of young people in self-employment and a concurrent increase in the share of youth working in temporary paid jobs – essentially shifting from one form of precarious (and informal) work to another.

The share of young adults working in a secure paid job is significantly higher in high-income countries (at 76 per cent in 2023), but even here the incidence of temporary work among youth has risen. Depending on the subregion, from one fifth to one quarter of young adult workers are currently engaged in temporary paid work, a share that has increased over time. With the rise of access to education and limited number of higher-skilled jobs available, the queue among educated young jobseekers grows, and there is a consequent overall waning in the returns on education. (IPA Service)