The tragedy of the NEET generation on the first rung of the career ladder

As we look at the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) October 2026 report, two concepts frequently appear: "vulnerability" and "resilience." However, behind these fancy terms of the global economy lies the report's most striking and jarring finding: the NEET generation.

Millions of young people who are neither studying, nor working, nor receiving vocational training... This invisible but snowballing mass makes up a massive portion of the global youth population, and unfortunately, the picture is getting bleaker with each passing year.

What is NEET, and what is it not?

NEET, which stands for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training," describes a youth that has been pushed completely outside the system. However, this situation should not be confused with classic "unemployment." An unemployed person is someone who is actively looking for work and wants to enter the production process. NEET, on the other hand, covers young people who have given up looking for work, lost hope, and have effectively been left outside the door.

According to the latest IMF report, there are currently 670 million young people in this category worldwide. This figure is a frightening proportion, equivalent to one-fifth of the total youth population on our planet. Moreover, the problem does not only cover developing countries; the NEET rate is also climbing rapidly in high-income economies such as France, Italy, and Spain.

The painful truths told by the numbers

When we look closer at the picture, the dimensions of the crisis become much clearer. While NEET rates are rising significantly in developed countries, the rates appear lower on paper in low-income countries. However, this does not mean that things are going well in those countries; on the contrary, because young people work in informal and precarious jobs, they are forced to be reflected in statistics as "employed."

The real danger lies in future projections. According to data shared by World Bank President Ajay Banga, 1.2 billion young people will enter the labor market over the next 10-15 years. However, the number of jobs the global economy is expected to create in the same period is only 400 million. In other words, we will face a massive employment gap of 800 million in the near future.

Artificial Intelligence is at the door: Are career ladders disappearing?

So, why is the youth population on the front lines of the crisis? A large part of the answer lies in the artificial intelligence revolution. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva summarizes this process as a "slow-moving tsunami." Artificial intelligence will directly affect approximately 40 percent of jobs worldwide—and 60 percent in developed countries. The routine and repetitive tasks that young people take on when starting their working lives are now handled by algorithms in seconds.

As Georgieva also pointed out, young people usually start their professional journeys with routine tasks and rise as they gain experience. However, if those first rungs disappear, climbing the career ladder becomes impossible. The common concern expressed at the IMF-World Bank meetings is in this direction: the rapid disappearance of entry-level positions is blocking the path of professional development for young people.

Where is the solution?

The report falls short of offering a direct, holistic prescription for the NEET crisis. The "temporary aid" mentioned by the IMF may be a bandage on the wound in the short term; however, this generation needs deep-rooted and structural solutions rather than symbolic support.

Because the private sector, which provides 75 to 85 percent of employment, can only absorb 1.2 billion young people through strategic investments and by equipping young people with next-generation digital-analytical skills. Instead of trying to protect traditional roles in the new world transformed by artificial intelligence, we must rapidly implement this skills transformation.

Conclusion: Is a lost generation coming?

The data in the IMF report shows that a deep humanitarian crisis lies behind the "resilience" vision that the global economy boasts so much about. While growth figures rise and charts turn green, millions of young people are being pushed out of life.

The reaction of the students filling the streets of Paris today is actually nothing more than the scream of this silent majority of 670 million. While reports are making "resilience" analyses on the table, young people on the street are shouting, "We are paying the price for this system."

Now is the time to ask the real question: If we lose a generation, what economic growth figure can fill the void it creates?