Rural Youth and Labor Outlook: Global and Regional Trends Jesica Seacor, JD, MBA Assistant Director ILO Washington Office June 4, 2007

Presentation Outline 1. ILO and youth / labor today 2. Global trends 3. Regional trends 4. In focus: rural youth 5. Conclusions

The Decent Work Agenda “The primary goal of the ILO today is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.” Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General

Key ILO Issues around the World 180 million workers are currently unemployed and underemployed 50% of workers in the world live below $2 per day Nearly 2 million work-related deaths each year 4 out of 5 people around the world lack adequate social security coverage Nearly 218 million children are engaged in child labor 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 9 out of 10 adults in their prime productive and reproductive years 12.4 million people are forced laborers More than 1 billion youth, with 85% living in developing countries

International Youth and Labor Today Unprecedented “youth bulge” (12-24 year-olds): 1.5 billion total, with 1.3 billion in developing countries Seizing opportunities in the population Because labor is the main asset of the poor, making it more productive is the best way to reduce poverty Investing in youth - NOW Health and education essential to building stronger base of human capital Labor migrants primarily comprised of youth

Global Youth and Labor Trends ● Investments during youth’s “five life transitions” (*) : 1. learning after primary school age 2. starting a productive working life * not starting work too early * breaking into the job market * moving to new jobs and up the skill ladder 3. growing up healthy 4. forming families 5. exercising citizenship (*) World Development Report, 2007: Development and the Next Generation, © 2006 The World Bank, Washington, DC

Global Youth and Labor Trends ● Policies should focus not only on youth’s opportunities but also on their capabilities and second chances: > Improving basic skills – intervene earlier in the life cycle and focus on quality > Meeting the demand for higher order skills – improve the relevance of secondary and tertiary education > Accumulating skills on the job – ease barriers to start work and facilitate mobility > Participating in civic life – enhance youth voice in policy and service delivery

Global Youth and Labor Trends ● Enhancing capabilities: youth as decision makers Informing youth * improve the curricula in and convey the value of schools * examine options outside schools * harvest worldwide knowledge through new technologies to inform youth * improve the delivery and management of information to ensure that what should be taught is taught well

Global Youth and Labor Trends ● Enhancing capabilities: youth as decision makers * Helping young people command resources * Enhancing the capacity to decide well Policies to offer second chances: * Targeting programs finely * Integrating second chances with mainstream programs * Rehabilitation with accountability

Global Youth and Labor Trends ● Moving forward: Better coordination and integration with national policy * Stronger voice * More evaluation

Regional Trends ● Significant variation across regions: > East Asia (dominated by China) has peaked and is set to decline > Sub Saharan Africa = 4x 1950 population level = continued rapid growth > South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Middle East and North Africa between the two extremes

Challenges for Rural Youth Rural non-farm economies generate 30-50% of rural incomes throughout the developing world i.e., Latin America, about 50% (ages 15-24) and > 65% (ages 25-34) work in non-farm activities Facilitating mobility: for 29 developing countries, youth are 40% more likely than older people to move from rural to urban areas i.e., China’s rural-urban migration

Challenges for Rural Youth 190 million people live outside country of birth, 49.6% women, 50.4 % men 82% of migrants are from developing countries, with small island countries comprising the largest million youth migrants are from developing countries.

Challenges for Rural Youth UN/World Bank Initiatives: Youth Employment Network (YEN) Intra21 International Youth Foundation

In closing ●Questions and Answers ● ● (coming soon) Thank you!