06 September 2026
Global Employment Trends for Youth in 2026
The International Labor Organisation published its Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026 report, showing a worsening situation for young people after the post-COVID recovery.
A key finding is the diverging trends in youth and older adult unemployment, with youth unemployment increasing from 12.3% to 12.4% in 2025, while unemployment among those over 25 fell from an already low 3.7% to 3.6%.
The report also identified that the level of NEETs worldwide has increased, with those not in education, employment or training up from 19.7% to 20%, equating to 257 million young people. Women are more than twice as likely as men to be NEET.
Rising youth unemployment is a global issue, not just confined to one or two geographies, and regardless of whether they are more or less wealthy areas. However, the area with the highest unemployment and NEET rate is the Arab States, with 26.2% youth unemployment and a 32.4% NEET rate.
Read the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026.
A key finding is the diverging trends in youth and older adult unemployment, with youth unemployment increasing from 12.3% to 12.4% in 2025, while unemployment among those over 25 fell from an already low 3.7% to 3.6%.
The report also identified that the level of NEETs worldwide has increased, with those not in education, employment or training up from 19.7% to 20%, equating to 257 million young people. Women are more than twice as likely as men to be NEET.
Rising youth unemployment is a global issue, not just confined to one or two geographies, and regardless of whether they are more or less wealthy areas. However, the area with the highest unemployment and NEET rate is the Arab States, with 26.2% youth unemployment and a 32.4% NEET rate.
Read the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026.
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