Global youth unemployment to rise this year – ILO

By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star), August 29, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Global youth unemployment is expected to rise in 2016 for the first time in three years and there is equally disturbing high levels of young people who work but still live in poverty, according to the United Nations labor agency.

In its report “Citing World Employment and Social Outlook 2016: Trends for Youth,” the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that the global youth unemployment rate is expected to reach 13.1 percent in 2016 and remain at that level through to 2017. It was up from 12.9 percent in 2015.

As a result, the number of unemployed youth is set to rise by half a million this year to reach 71 million – the first such increase in three years.

But of greater concern, according to the ILO, is the share and number of young people, often in emerging and developing countries, who live in extreme or moderate poverty despite having a job.

ILO said 156 million or 37.7 percent of working youth are in extreme or moderate poverty, compared to 26 percent of working adults.

“The alarming rise in youth unemployment and the equally disturbing high levels of young people who work but still live in poverty show how difficult it will be to reach the global goal to end poverty by 2030,” said Deborah Greenfield, ILO deputy director-general for policy.

The ILO called for greater efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and decent work.

In particular, Greenfield called for redoubled efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and decent work, noting that the report highlights wide disparities between young women and men in the labor market that need to be addressed by ILO member states and the social partners urgently.

Global economic growth in 2016 is estimated to stand at 3.2 percent, 0.4 percentage points lower than the figure predicted in late 2015.