Youth joblessness needs two measures
Unemployment excludes people outside the labour force.
- Event / announcement date
- 2026-08-11
ILO’s August 11, 2026 report estimated 67 million unemployed 15–24-year-olds in 2025: 12.4% of that age group’s labour force. The overlapping NEET measure counted 257 million young people outside employment, education or training. [1]
An earlier ILO explainer distinguishes NEET jobseekers from those outside the labour force. Focusing only on unemployment can miss barriers such as unpaid care that disproportionately affect young women. [2]
The report describes poorer economies where young people cannot afford prolonged unemployment and accept insecure work. Its separate 15–29 analysis measures AI exposure by occupation; that does not establish AI-caused job losses. [1]
The source
- ILO: Youth employment ↗
Source date 2026-08-11 · reviewed October 30, 2026 · Released August 11; PDF corrected August 31, 2026. - ILO: NEET and unemployment ↗
Source date 2025-08-12 · reviewed October 30, 2026
About this item: Retrospective report. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.
