Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment 2012-2014

The global unemployment rate among 15- to 24-year-olds is estimated at 12.6% in 2013, with 73 million people jobless worldwide, according to the International Labour Organization. Levels of informal employment among young people are soaring and they are finding it ever more difficult to find jobs that match their skills and education. Calls for urgent collective action have escalated, but the scale and complexity of the crisis limits the impact of isolated initiatives. Members of the Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment are urging leaders to move from discussing the issues to implementing solutions. It is clear that a collective approach is needed to address the systemic nature of the challenge, particularly at the country level. Long-term strategies to better align educational systems with labour market requirements and efforts to promote entrepreneurship are sorely needed.