Grim report from the International Labour Organization: 64.9 million young people unemployed, one in five neither studying nor working

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has published its 'Global Employment Trends for Youth' report. While the report finds the global downward trend in youth unemployment promising, it points out that the proportion of young people not in education or employment remains high. The rate of young people not in education or employment in Turkey is higher than the global average.

According to the report by Ahmet Kıvanç from Habertürk, improvements in youth unemployment have been achieved over the last four years. This improvement is expected to continue over the next two years.

The report revealed that the number of people aged 15–24 who are not in employment, education, or training is worrying and that the post-COVID-19 recovery in employment has not been universal. Young people in some regions, and especially young women, have not benefited sufficiently from the recovery.

64.9 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED

According to the report, there are 64.9 million unemployed young people in the world. The youth unemployment rate has fallen to 13 percent, the lowest level in the last 15 years. A 0.8 percentage point reduction has been achieved in youth unemployment, which was 13.8 percent before the pandemic.

The global youth unemployment rate is expected to fall to 12.8 percent in 2024 and 2025. However, youth unemployment rates in Arab states, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific countries remain higher than in 2019.

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH FELL IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR

The youth unemployment rate in Turkey, which was 24.2 percent in the last quarter of 2019, began to fall after rising to 26.0 percent during the pandemic period. As of the last quarters, the youth unemployment rate in Turkey, which was 21.0 percent in 2021, 19.0 percent in 2022, and 15.7 percent in 2023, was 16.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. The number of unemployed youth in Turkey, which was 1 million 73 thousand in the last quarter of 2021, fell to 871 thousand in the first quarter of 2024.

The report warns that young people face certain risks in achieving success in the business world. It was stated that a large number of young people worldwide are not in education or employment, and that access to decent jobs remains limited for young people in developing economies. It was stated that in 2023, 1 in 5 young people globally (20.4 percent) were neither in employment nor in education.

TURKEY IS ABOVE THE WORLD AVERAGE

The rate of young people not in education or employment in Turkey is higher than the world average. The rate of young people not in employment or education, which was at the 26.0 percent level in 2021, was calculated as 22.0 percent in the first quarter of this year. Numerically, the number of Turkish youth not in employment or education, which was around 3 million in 2021, was 2 million 586 thousand this year.

The fact that youth unemployment is lower than the rate of young people not in employment or education stems from the fact that not all idle youth enter the labor market to work.

THREE OUT OF FOUR YOUNG PEOPLE WORK IN TEMPORARY WAGE JOBS

The report emphasized that no global progress has been made in finding decent work. It was stated that globally, more than half of young workers are in informal employment, and that only in high- and upper-middle-income economies do the majority of young workers have regular, secure jobs. It was noted that three out of four young workers in low-income countries work in temporary wage jobs. The report warned that the high rates of workers not in education or employment and the insufficient growth of decent jobs are leading to growing anxiety among today's youth, who constitute the most educated youth group in history.

ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo stated that no one can expect a stable future at a time when millions of young people around the world do not have a decent job and, as a result, feel insecure and cannot build a better life for themselves and their families. Houngbo said, “Peaceful societies rest on three pillars: stability, inclusion, and social justice. Decent work for youth is at the heart of all three.”

The ILO report called for greater emphasis on strengthening the foundations of decent work as a way to address young people's concerns about the world of work and to reinforce their hopes for a brighter future.

'KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND INVEST IN YOUR SKILLS'

The authors of the report, calling on young people, said, “You have the power to influence policy and advocate for decent work for all. Know your rights and continue to invest in your skills.”

Some of the key findings in the report are as follows:

"- Although modernization can be brought to traditional sectors through digitalization and artificial intelligence, growth in 'modern' services and manufacturing jobs for youth has remained limited.

- Especially in middle-income countries, there are not enough high-skill jobs to meet the needs of educated youth.

- Keeping pace with skill development alongside the growing demand for green and digital skills will be critical to reducing skills mismatches.

- The increasing number of conflicts threatens the future livelihoods of young people and can push them toward migration or extremism.

- Demographic trends, especially the “youth quake” in Africa, mean that a sufficient number of decent jobs must be created, and this will be critical for social justice and the global economy.'