NEET Rates and Gender Disparities Remain Persistent, Despite Youth Employment Improves, ILO Report Reveals

Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General, emphasizes the critical role of decent work in fostering stability, inclusion, and social justice.

The latest International Labour Organization (ILO) report, "Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024" (GET for Youth), offers a mixed picture of the global labour market for young people. Over the past four years, improvements in the youth employment outlook are notable, with projections suggesting a continued positive trend for the next two years. However, the report highlights significant ongoing challenges, including high levels of youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET) and uneven recovery across regions.

The 2023 youth unemployment rate, which stands at 13%—a 15-year low—translates to 64.9 million young people. This figure marks a decrease from the pre-pandemic rate of 13.8% in 2019 and is expected to fall further to 12.8% in 2024. Despite these improvements, regional disparities persist. In the Arab States, East Asia, and South-East Asia and the Pacific, youth unemployment rates in 2023 were higher compared to 2019, indicating that the recovery has not been uniform.

The GET for Youth report underscores a concerning trend: the number of young people who are NEET remains high, with 20.4% globally falling into this category in 2023. Alarmingly, two-thirds of these NEET individuals are female, highlighting a significant gender disparity. The report also points out that the employment recovery post-COVID-19 has been uneven, with emerging and developing economies particularly struggling to offer decent job opportunities to their youth.

For those who are employed, the report reveals a lack of progress in securing decent work. Globally, more than half of young workers are engaged in informal employment. In high- and upper-middle-income economies, the majority of young workers are in regular, secure jobs, while in low-income countries, three in four young workers are only able to find self-employed or temporary positions.

Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General, emphasizes the critical role of decent work in fostering stability, inclusion, and social justice. He highlights that the high NEET rates and the slow growth of quality jobs contribute to growing anxiety among the youth, who are the most educated generation ever.

The report also notes that young men have benefitted more from the recovery than young women. While the youth unemployment rates for young women and men were nearly equal in 2023 (12.9% for young women and 13% for young men), the NEET rate for young women was double that of young men (28.1% compared to 13.1%). This disparity reflects ongoing inequalities in access to opportunities and highlights the need for targeted interventions to support young women.

Looking forward, the report stresses the need for increased investment and effective strategies to enhance job creation, particularly for young women. It also calls for stronger support systems to assist young people through their labour market transitions, improved integration of employment and social protection, and enhanced international cooperation to tackle global inequalities.

As the GET for Youth marks its 20-year anniversary, it reflects on past achievements and sets the stage for future efforts to improve youth employment prospects. The report concludes with a call to action for young people to advocate for change, invest in their skills, and participate actively in shaping a more equitable and inclusive world.