ILO says global youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025, with 67 million jobless

GENEVA — The International Labour Organization reported on Thursday that the global youth unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 climbed to 12.4% in 2025, up from 12.3% the previous year, leaving roughly 67 million young people without work. The rise was most pronounced in higher-income economies, a period that also saw rapid expansion in the use of artificial intelligence technologies. According to the ILO's annual report on youth employment, the share of young people who are neither working nor in education or training also edged up to 20%, encompassing more than 257 million people worldwide. Office and administrative roles, along with service, sales, manufacturing and certain technical occupations, have traditionally served as entry points into the labor market, but AI is narrowing those opportunities, the report said. Sukti Dasgupta, director of the ILO's sustainable employment unit, said 6.1% of positions currently held by 15-29-year-olds are in occupations heavily exposed to AI. She warned that even a 10% reduction in those jobs could put about 5.6 million young people at risk of unemployment, occupational change or leaving the labor force. The ILO projected the global youth unemployment rate would hold steady at around 12.3% in 2026 and 2027.