The United Nations' labour agency says the weakening global economic recovery in 2012 and 2013 has further aggravated the youth jobs crisis.
(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
Peggy Giakoumelos reports.
According to the International Labour Organisation, it's not a good time to be a young person looking for a job.
In a recent report, the ILO predicted more than 73 million people aged between 15 to 24 would be out of work at the end of the year, an increase of 3.5 million since 2007, and with the number still rising.
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And while it's tougher for young people in developing countries to find work, being a young person in an advanced economy has its own challenges.
Theodore Sparreboom is one of the ILO's senior labour economists.
"In the second quarter of 2012, the youth unemployment rate exceeded 15 per cent in two-thirds of advanced countries. In addition it takes longer and longer for young persons to find a job. In most advanced economies one third of or more are unemployed for at least six months. If they do find a job, it's increasingly likely to be a part-time or a temporary job. There may be good reasons of course for young people to prefer such work. But the current labour market suggests that alternatives are not available."
The ILO says the areas of most concern, are in three regions - the European Union, the Middle East and North Africa - where youth unemployment rates have skyrocketed since 2008.
In developed economies, joblessness among young people for instance jumped by nearly 25 per cent in the past five years, reaching 18 per cent.
While youth unemployment in Europe may steal most of the headlines, the ILO stresses that developing regions face major youth employment challenges, especially for young women and girls.
Nigel Spence is the CEO of Childfund Australia.
He says finding work is just one of many challenges faced by young women in developing countries.
"For many young women there's a range of quite serious challenges and threats to their wellbeing. In many countries early marriage is still a serious problem. For many young women they are required by family or community pressure to leave school and enter often hazardous forms of work. They're often denied educational opportunities, they often have limited employment choices. They often lack information and education about sexual health and lack opportunity to basic services. So there's a stack of challenges for young women."
The ILO warns long-term unemployment or underemployment among young people carries a heavy price for societies, often perpetuating intergenerational poverty and disadvantage.
Amalia Fawcett is a Senior Child Rights Specialist with the aid agency, Plan International Australia.
One of Plan International's priority areas is helping young people in Asia and Africa enter the workforce by providing training to help them find work or help them identify other opportunities for making a living.
She says in any assistance program, finding out what the community needs rather than imposing a one-size-fits all approach is paramount.
"You have to consult with young people and use their energy and positive ways, and actually be honest in how we're consulting and not just write a report about it. But actually listen to what they've said and translate that into our practices."
The ILO report adds that in parts of the world, a high proportion of youths are being forced to take jobs that don't take advantage of their qualifications.
It says this has the dual effect of societies missing out on new skills from highly-qualified youths, while other less-qualified young people are denied entry into the workforce altogether.
