Youth Employment in Europe: Fewer Jobs, More Pessimism

The latest International Labour Organization report on youth employment leaves little room for optimism about European economies.

To start, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, which the UN and by extension the ILO treat as a single zone, rank among the world subregions where conditions for young people in the labor market are deteriorating fastest.

Unemployment among people under 25 reached 15% in 2025, up from 14.2% in 2023, one of the largest increases worldwide alongside North Africa and North America. That rate places developed European countries third on the global youth unemployment map, among eight subregions overall. The Arab States and North Africa hold first and second place, with unemployment at 26.2% and 22.6% respectively. The global average stands at 12.4%, slightly up from the historic low of 12.3% in 2023.