Knowledge Hub

The tentative, and short-lived, recovery in youth labor markets that followed the COVID-19 pandemic has stalled. This edition of the Global Employment Trends for Youth (GET for Youth) finds that slowing global economic growth, diminished job creation, geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change are combining to make the transition from school to decent work increasingly difficult for many young people. After reaching its lowest level in more than two decades in 2023, the global unemployment rate of young people aged 15 to 24 edged up to 12.4 per cent in 2025, equaling 67 million unemployed young people worldwide. The global share of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) is also again on the rise, reaching 20 per cent in 2025 from 19.7 per cent in 2023. This translated into an increase of 9 million more young people in NEET status since 2023, bringing the total to 257 million in 2025. With many more young people implicated and with youth disengagement harder to redress,1 the increasing trend in the youth NEET rate is especially worrisome.

This report outlines business priorities for learning and education systems, the role business can play and the role of OECD as we face unprecedented technological change, and global uncertainty in our economies and societies to which our learning systems must adapt.

This report warns that without stronger, more inclusive lifelong learning systems, the digital, green and demographic transformations risk deepening inequality. It offers a clear roadmap on how countries can build inclusive, forward-looking lifelong learning systems that support workers and enterprises in a transforming world of work.

Flagship indicators; 2025 focus on tertiary education and adult skills (PIAAC 2023); teacher shortage challenges.

Employers’ view on labour market drivers to 2030 and workforce strategies for 2025–2030.