After post-pandemic improvement, youth unemployment is rising again

Frustrated by skyrocketing youth unemployment, among other issues, tens of thousands of Gen Z activists took to the streets of Nepal last year, demanding a stake in the country’s economic growth. The protest worked and the prime minister resigned.A new report published Tuesday by the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) found that worldwide youth unemployment rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic but is now beginning to worsen again, leaving millions unable to get that crucial first job.After sinking to a two-decade low in 2023, global youth unemployment – covering the 15 to 24 age bracket – ticked up to 12.4 per cent in 2025, totalling 67 million jobless worldwide.The global share of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) also rose from 19.7 per cent in 2023 to 20 per cent in 2025, bringing the total to 257 million worldwide.NEET status reflects people who have disengaged from the labor market entirely, making it harder to reverse.“A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence,” ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said. “When young people are locked out of quality employment, countries lose talent, productivity ...