Analytics, Employment, EU – Baltic States, Labour-market

The youth unemployment rate grew twice as fast as for adults, by 1.1 percentage points in two years to affect 13% of 15 to 24 year-olds in the global labour force in 2009, an ILO report found.

The report warned that, despite a marginal improvement forecast for 2011, the recovery in the jobs market for young men and women is likely to lag behind opportunities for adults, writes AFP/LETA.

"Young people are the drivers of economic development," said ILO Director General Juan Somavia. "Foregoing this potential is an economic waste and can undermine social stability," he added in a statement.

The report found evidence that some young people were so discouraged that they were dropping out of the labour market in developed and some emerging nations.

"Fears have been expressed regarding a possible crisis legacy of a 'lost generation' made up of young people who detach themselves from the labour market altogether," it said.

Central, eastern and southern Europe suffered the most, notably Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain.

The UN labour agency urged governments to keep up support for youth employment despite post crisis cuts in public spending, while Elder warned of "dire consequences" for youngsters if stimulus spending was stopped too early.