Improve youth employment

| June 29, 2016
United Nations

The UN is observing World Youth Skills Day on 15 July 2016 with a special event on the theme of “Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment.”

Education and training are key determinants of success in the labour market. But existing systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people, and surveys of learning outcomes and skills show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy.

The UN estimates that the number of unemployed youth globally reached 74.5 million in 2013, the majority of whom live in developing countries. According to the International Labour organization, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. One in five youths, or 125 million, are working but live in extreme poverty (on less than US$1 per day). The issue of youth unemployment is a major concern for both industrialised and developing countries.

Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. In December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 15th  July as World Youth Skills Day. The goal is to achieve better socio-economic conditions for today’s youth as a means of addressing the challenges of unemployment and under employment.

You can follow the conversation on social media with #YouthSkills and #WYSD2016.

SHARE WITH: