Two thirds of working age youth in some developing countries are either unemployed or trapped in low-quality jobs, according to the International Labour Organisation Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013 report.

In six of the ten countries surveyed, over 60 per cent of young people are either unemployed, working but in low quality, irregular, low wage jobs, often in the informal economy, or neither in the labour force nor in education or training. In Liberia, Malawi and Togo, the figure exceeds 70 per cent.

“The waste of economic potential in developing economies is staggering. For an overwhelming number of young people this means a job does not necessarily equal a livelihood,” says Sara Elder, co-author of the report and research specialist for the ILO Youth Employment Programme.

The school-to-work transition surveys go beyond regular labour force surveys to look at issues such as non-standard employment and labour underutilization, job quality, job satisfaction and transitions of young people to and within the labour market.

“The survey’s analytical framework has been built around disaggregated and nuanced indicators that highlight the specific labour market challenges of young people in developing economies,” said José M. Salazar-Xirinachs, ILO Assistant Director General for Policy.

The surveys also show that when unemployment counts those who are not actively looking for work, the unemployment rate is much higher than published figures suggest. For example, in Liberia, Malawi, Togo and Peru, the unemployment rate is more than double what published figures show.