Youth employment and social policies
Successful engagement of young people in the labour market and society is crucial not only for their own personal economic prospects and well-being, but also for overall economic growth and social cohesion. Investing in youth is therefore a policy priority for the OECD. Through adequate skills, employment, social and broader policy settings, young people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and maintain confidence in their future prospects.
In June 2022, the Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People was adopted. This legal document – agreed to by all OECD countries – outlines how countries can implement government-wide strategies to support young people, including through skills, education, employment, social and public governance policies. It builds on the Updated OECD Youth Action Plan from June 2021, and draws on the perspectives raised by young people themselves in a youth consultation organised in September 2021.
- > The Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People // Recommandation sur l’amélioration des perspectives offertes aux jeunes (2022)
- > Youth consultation on the building blocks of the proposed Recommendation (September 2021)
- > The Updated OECD Youth Action Plan // Plan d’action actualisé de l’OCDE pour les jeunes (2021)
- > The 2013 OECD Action Plan for Youth can be found here: summary and full report
Supporting implementation of youth policies
The OECD provides technical support to countries that are seeking to reform their youth policy systems. Several projects are implemented in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) of the European Commission. Ongoing and forthcoming projects related to employment and social policies for young people include:
Youth & COVID-19
At the OECD Youth Week 2021, a series of engaging discussions highlighted the urgent need to invest in young people as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch recordings of the session here (20-24 September 2021). See more analysis on youth and COVID-19:
- Labour market developments: The unfolding COVID-19 crisis (July 2021)
- What have countries done to support young people in the COVID-19 crisis: Policy Brief // Synthèse (July 2021)
- Young people’s concerns, perceived vulnerabilities and policy preferences: Young people’s concerns during COVID-19 // Les préoccupations des jeunes pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 (July 2021). See Figures and data and the OECD Risks that Matter survey
Assisting care leavers
Young adults, who have lived in out-of-home care at some point during their childhood often struggle to build stable lives. In response to their poor socio-economic outcomes, many agencies responsible for out-of-home placements are experimenting with transition programmes for young adults leaving care. See new analysis from the OECD that explores a range of policy areas and support that is key for improving care leavers’ transition to adulthood:
- Assisting Care Leavers: Time for Action (June 2022)
Investing in Youth country reviews
The Investing in Youth series builds on the OECD expertise on youth employment, social support and skills. The country reviews provide detailed assessments of education, employment and social policies from an international perspective, and offer tailored recommendations to help improve the school-to-work transition in each country. The series covers both OECD countries and key emerging economies.
Our employment database provides up-to-date statistics for making comparisons between countries, identifying trends over time as well as labour market outcomes by age.
Related documents
- Policy note on the hidden NEETs
- Smooth transitions but in a changing market | OECD Employment Outlook 2020
- OECD Society at a Glance 2016 - A Spotlight on youth
- Same but different: School-to-work transitions in emerging and advanced economies
- NEET youth in the aftermath of the financial crisis: challenges and policies
- Ensuring educational attainment and school-to-work transition for young people with mental ill-health
OECD work on youth for the G20
The OECD supports the G20 in the area of jobs, labour market policies and inclusive growth by identifying relevant responses to the jobs crisis, strategies to promote a job-rich recovery and a more inclusive type of economic growth. The OECD has made significant contributions to G20 work on youth employment, in co-operation with the ILO:
- Helping disadvantaged youth: Progress and policy action towards the Antalya G20 Youth Goal | G20 Saudi Arabia 2020
- Options for monitoring the Antalya youth target | G20 Saudi Arabia 2020
- Setting objectives for achieving better youth employment outcomes | G20 Turkey 2015
- Achieving better youth employment outcomes | G20 Turkey 2015
- Promoting better labour market outcomes for youth | G20 Australia 2014
- The challenge of promoting youth employment in the G20 countries | G20 Mexico 2012
- Giving youth a better start | G20 France 2011
Other OECD work on youth
- Stand by Youth
- Delivering for youth
- OECD Youth Week 2021
- #PowerOfYouth: the driving force for change after COVID
- Covid-19 & young people’s mental health
- Youth inclusion
- Youth and intergenerational justice
- Youth entrepreneurship
- OECD Skills Outlook 2021
- Environmental education
- Financial education and youth
- Work-based learning and apprenticeships
- Career readiness
- National Skills Strategies
- Youth and the future of Work
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