Youth unemployment increased globally in 2025, with some of the largest rises recorded in high-income economies as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the labor market, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said Tuesday.
The ILO’s annual report on youth employment estimated that the unemployment rate among people ages 15 to 24 reached 12.4% in 2025, up from 12.3% in 2024. That means 67 million young people worldwide were unemployed.
At the same time, the share of young people who were not employed, in education or in training — known as NEET — also edged higher, reaching 20%, or more than 257 million people.
The ILO expects the global youth unemployment rate to remain at 12.3% in both 2026 and 2027. But the organization warned that the apparent stability masks a concerning trend.
“When the unemployment rate and the NEET rate increase at the same time, we sound the alarm,” Sarah Elder, an ILO employment policy official, said during a presentation of the report to journalists in Geneva.
Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment increased in eight of the world’s 11 regions.
“The slowdown in economic growth, the inadequacy of jobs being created, geopolitical tensions and the acceleration of technological change are pushing countries toward a new youth employment crisis,” the ILO warned.
Where youth unemployment rose most
The largest increases in youth unemployment between 2023 and 2025 were recorded in North America, North Africa, and Northern, Southern and Western Europe.
The report said technological developments, particularly the growing use of artificial intelligence, are transforming young people’s prospects for finding work.
The decline in many jobs requiring intermediate-level skills is making it more difficult for young people to gain access to stable careers.
Jobs that have traditionally served as entry points into the labor market for young workers — including office and administrative positions, broader service and sales jobs, industrial occupations and technical professions — are on a downward trajectory, according to the report.
AI adds to the pressure
The ILO highlighted the potential impact of artificial intelligence on young workers, particularly in high-income countries.
“Some 6.1% of jobs currently held by young people ages 15 to 29 are in occupations highly exposed to AI-related changes,” Sukti Dasgupta, director of the ILO’s Employment, Skills and Sustainable Enterprises Department, told reporters.
“If 10% of jobs exposed to AI were lost, 5.6 million economically active young people, mainly in high-income countries, would face unemployment, occupational transitions or leaving the labor market,” she said.
The report points to a broader challenge for young workers as economic growth slows, geopolitical tensions persist and technological change accelerates, while some of the jobs that have traditionally provided an entry point into employment continue to decline.
