Chacal ana, Juan; Ba cucci, Valen ina; Mo eno, Ma in
Wo king Pape
You h employmen policies: Pa e ns and ends in wo
unique da a se s
ILO Wo king Pape , No. 108
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion (ILO), Gene a
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Chacal ana, Juan; Ba cucci, Valen ina; Mo eno, Ma in (2024) : You h employmen
policies: Pa e ns and ends in wo unique da a se s, ILO Wo king Pape , No. 108, ISBN
978-92-2-040456-0, In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion (ILO), Gene a,
h ps://doi.o g/10.54394/QIUB5931
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XYou h employmen policies
Pa e ns and ends in wo unique da a se s
Au ho s / Juan Chacal ana, Valen ina Ba cucci, Ma in Mo eno
Feb ua y / 2024
ILO Wo king Pape 108
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01 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Abs ac
You h employmen challenges a e always a c i ical conce n o policymake s. The e is ecu ing
and moun ing e idence ha labou ma ke challenges, such as unemploymen , in o mali y, lack
o social p o ec ion and inac i i y, disp opo iona ely a ec you hs. This complex decision-making
p ocess in ol es na iga ing he in icacies o c a ing policies ailo ed o he unique challenges
con on ing you hs in labou ma ke s. In his pape , we look a he p ocess o elabo a ing he
you h employmen policies ound in wo unique da a compiled by he ILO. These da a se s con-
ain summa ies o he policy documen a ion, including he a ionale, main cha ac e is ics and
e olu ion o e ime. Th ough his analysis, we aim o iden i y some policy gaps and highligh
a eas o conside a ion o u u e you h employmen policies add essing e ol ing demands o
mode n labou ma ke s.
Abou he au ho s
Juan Chacal ana is a Senio Employmen Specialis wi h he ILO. He p e iously wo ked as
Regional Economis wi h he ILO Regional O ice o La in Ame ica and he Ca ibbean and as
Employmen Specialis wi h he ILO O ice o he Andean Coun ies. He also was he head o
he ILO Fo maliza ion P og amme o La in Ame ica and he Ca ibbean as well as Head o he
In e agency Uni ed Na ions MDG P og amme on You h, Employmen and Mig a ion. His mos
ecen book is Is he u u e eady o you h? co-edi ed wi h Suk i Dasgup a in 2021. He holds a
PhD in Economics om he Ca holic Uni e si y o Pe u and a Mas e o Science in Economics
om Texas A&M Uni e si y in he Uni ed S a es.
Valen ina Ba cucci is Senio Adminis a o a he Employmen Policies and You h B anch (Emplab)
o he Employmen Depa men in he ILO. She p e iously se ed as Labou Economis a he ILO
Coun y O ice o Vie Nam. He a eas o expe ise include, among o he s, labou ma ke analy-
sis, employmen policy de elopmen , skills and employabili y p omo ion, and you h employmen .
She has suppo ed egional p og ammes on he ansi ion om school o wo k in Asia and he
Paci ic and in Sub-Saha an A ica, and assis ed ILO membe s a es on e idence-based policy-mak-
ing in Sou h-Eas Asia, Eas e n Eu ope and he A ab S a es. Valen ina holds an MSc on business
and economics om he Uni e si y o Genoa (I aly) as well as an MSc in de elopmen om he
London School o Economics, and la e pu sued leade ship educa ion a Ha a d Uni e si y.
Ma in Mo eno is an independen esea che and consul an . He specializes in he ields o
compa a i e educa ion, labou ma ke s, social inequali y, and he impac o policy in e en ions.
He has ex ensi e expe ience in analysing schooling ends, educa ional dispa i ies, and ac o s
leading o disc imina ion and acial and e hnic iden i ica ion. He has co-au ho ed se e al publi-
ca ions including jou nal a icles, book chap e s, and epo s on hese opics. He holds a bache-
lo 's deg ee om Uni e sidad Nacional Mayo de San Ma cos in Lima, Pe u, as well as a Mas e
o A s deg ee om The Pennsyl ania S a e Uni e si y.
02 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Abs ac 01
Abou he au ho s 01
XIn oduc ion 05
X1 You h employmen policies: The global deba e 06
X2 Pa e ns and ends in policymaking 09
His o ical pe spec i e om he You hPOL da abase (accessible om 1997 o 2017) 09
Insigh s om he Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase (ac i e policy documen s) 18
X3 Balance and pe spec i e 22
Annex 24
Re e ences 28
Acknowledgemen s 30
Table o con en s
03 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Lis o Figu es
Figu e 1. Uni ed Na ions you h- ela ed ins umen s 06
Figu e 2. Main employmen challenges ela ed o you h ha he policy o law add esses, by
egion (pe cen age o You hPOL documen s) 10
Figu e 3. E olu ion o policy a eas and numbe o policy documen s (pe cen age o
You hPOL documen s) 15
Figu e 4. E olu ion o he numbe o sub-a eas wi hin each policy a ea, by ime pe iod (a e -
age numbe o sub-a eas in You hPOL documen s) 16
Figu e 5. E olu ion o selec ed policy documen cha ac e is ics o e ime, by pe iod (pe -
cen age o You hPOL documen s) 17
Figu e 6. Policy a eas included in he you h employmen s a egies, by egion (pe cen age o
Employmen Policy Ga eway documen s, calcula ed among coun ies wi h a you h em-
ploymen s a egy) 20
Figu e 7. You h pa icipa ion in he o mula ion o a you h employmen s a egy, by e-
gion among 130 coun ies wi h a you h employmen s a egy (pe cen age among
Employmen Policy Ga eway documen s) 21
Figu e A1. Main employmen challenges ela ed o you h ha he policy o law add esses,
by ime pe iod, (pe cen age o You hPOL documen s) 25
Figu e A2. En i ies in ol ed in he p ocess leading o he o mula ion o he policy, by ime
pe iod (pe cen age o You hPOL documen s) 25
Figu e A3. E olu ion o he numbe o sub-a eas wi hin each policy a ea, by pe iod o ime
and egion wi hin You hPOL documen s (smoo hed a e age numbe o sub-a eas) 26
Figu e A4. Selec ed policy documen cha ac e is ics, by egion (pe cen age o You hPOL doc-
umen s) 27
04 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Lis o Tables
Table 1. ILO you h employmen - ela ed ins umen s 08
Table 2. Policy a ge s in he You hPOL documen s 11
Table 3. Dis ibu ion o policy a eas ci ed in he You hPOL documen s (numbe and pe cen age) 13
Table 4. Was he e a consul a i e p ocess leading o he o mula ion o he policy? (pe cen -
age o You hPOL documen s) 14
Table 5. Coun ies wi h a you h employmen s a egy (pe cen age o Employmen Policy
Ga eway documen s) 19
Table A1. Dis ibu ion o documen s in he You hPOL da abase, by egion (pe cen age ex-
cep whe e no ed) 24
05 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XIn oduc ion
You h employmen challenges a e always a c i ical conce n o policymake s. The e is ecu ing
and moun ing e idence ha labou ma ke challenges, such as unemploymen , in o mali y, lack
o social p o ec ion and inac i i y, disp opo iona ely a ec you hs.1 Mo eo e , an inc easing
numbe o go e nmen s complemen hei na ional de elopmen amewo ks and employmen
policies wi h policies and p og ammes ha a ge young people.
In he ealm o measu es singling ou you h employmen , a uni e sal consensus on design and
implemen a ion emains elusi e. The ongoing deba e e ol es a ound ques ions such as whe he
you h-speci ic in e en ions a e jus i ied because, as some analys s a gue, concen a ing e o s
on cul i a ing a a ou able in es men and business clima e would o ganically gene a e jobs o
all pe sons seeking wo k. Should go e nmen s choose o in e ene, he e a e o he ques ions,
o example: Wha a e app op ia e policy op ions and how do you de e mine he me hods o
hei e ec i e applica ion? This complex decision-making p ocess in ol es na iga ing he in ica-
cies o c a ing policies ailo ed o he unique challenges con on ing you hs in labou ma ke s.
A pi o al inqui y should a ise when e alua ing he ou comes o hese in e en ions: Did hese
policies achie e hei in ended esul s? Is eedback om e alua ion implemen ed? This ques ion
uels ex ensi e discussions conce ning he e ec i eness o such in e en ions and hei di ec
impac on you h employmen . Ne e heless, his ques ion is seldom in es iga ed.
In his pape , we look a he p ocess o elabo a ing he you h employmen policies ound in
wo unique da a se s, one o which s opped being accessible in 2017. We e iew empi ical da a
se s con aining summa ies o he policy documen a ion, including he a ionale, main cha ac-
e is ics and e olu ion o e ime. The In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion (ILO) compiled he wo
da a se s: i s using i s da abase on You h Employmen Policies and Legisla ion, o You hPOL,
and hen i s Employmen Policy Ga eway, bo h o which a e comp ehensi e global digi al epos-
i o ies ha con ain documen s om di e en ime pe iods. This analysis e ealed some in e -
es ing pa e ns and allows o iden i y some policy gaps o a eas ha could be conside ed in he
nex gene a ion o you h employmen policies, which a e needed in he apidly e ol ing labou
ma ke s o he wen y- i s cen u y.
1See, o example, ILO 2022 o Chacal ana and Dasgup a 2021.
12 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Measu es o p omo e egis a ion and compliance by en e -
p ises in he in o mal economy 3.2 10.3 4.4 100.0 0.0 5.2
Labou demand add essed [n=103 documen s]
Incen i es o ec ui young people (such as wage subsidies,
ax eba es and wai e s) 50.0 64.7 89.7 0.0 77.8 80.2
O he measu es o boos labou demand 75.0 35.3 10.3 0.0 27.8 22.8
Incen i es o p omo e he ansi ion o in o mal young wo k-
e s o he o mal economy 0.0 35.3 8.6 0.0 0.0 10.9
Labou law add essed (sub-a eas) [n= 111 documen s]
Con ac ual a angemen s o young people (such as ec ui -
men ules and p oba ion) 80.0 46.4 70.7 100.0 76.0 67.3
Occupa ional heal h and sa e y 60.0 46.4 43.9 0.0 48.0 47.3
O he 13.3 42.9 26.8 0.0 28.0 29.1
An i-disc imina ion legisla ion 26.7 28.6 24.4 0.0 28.0 26.4
Labou ma ke policies (sub-a eas) [n=239 documen s]
Ac i e labou ma ke policies o you h (such as public em-
ploymen se ices and you h gua an ees, p i a e employmen
agencies, labou ma ke ainings o he unemployed, pub-
lic wo ks) 92.0 86.7 74.6 100.0 70.7 77.2
Income and social p o ec ion (such as unemploymen ben-
e i s and non-con ibu o y social insu ance, social aisis ance
and o he income suppo ) 12.0 26.7 19.7 0.0 24.1 20.7
Wage policy (such as minimum wage and you h subminimum
wage) 16.0 6.7 13.1 0.0 34.5 17.7
O he policy measu es (such as ec ui men quo as, posi i e
ac ion) 8.0 20.0 18.9 0.0 15.5 16.9
Collec i e ag eemen s on you h employmen 0.0 0.0 1.6 0.0 1.7 1.3
Sou ce: Au ho s’ own abula ions based on You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017. Values epo ed in he able a e exp essed
as pe cen ages excep whe e no ed.
Documen s add essing labou demand policies di ec ly cons i u ed 21 pe cen o all policy i ems
in he da abase. The sub-a eas o his policy a ea ollowed a common pa e n, bu some in e -
egional di e ences we e de ec ed. The sub-a ea incen i es o ec ui young people domina -
ed ac oss all egions (a 80 pe cen o documen s add essing labou demand). A ica was he
only excep ion, wi h o he measu es o boos labou demand leading as he mos add essed
sub-a ea. In he Ame icas, while incen i es o ec ui you h people also domina ed (a 65 pe
cen ), o he sub-a eas had mo e ele ance han in o he egions. These included incen i es o
p omo e ansi ion om in o mal young wo ke s o he o mal economy and o he measu es
o boos labou demand.
Mac oeconomic and sec o al policies – measu es ha in luence he demand side as well om
he p oduc ma ke dimension – we e included in 9 pe cen o he policy documen s. Sec o al
policies15 we e he mos common (a abou 80 pe cen ) sub-a ea co e ed by his ype o docu-
men , ollowed by iscal policies and in es men policies (33 pe cen and 18 pe cen , espec i e-
ly). The sec o al na u e o hese policies helps unde s and he dispe sion o agencies in cha ge
o he implemen a ion. The mo e in ol ed agencies included he minis ies esponsible o he
economy, employmen , educa ion and planning and he minis y in cha ge o you h a ai s.
15 Sec o al policies included suppo ing he ag icul u al sec o , ou ism sec o , g een sec o , e c., such as aining young specialis s o
wo k in he ou ism sec o o launching a campaign o a ac young people o he ag icul u e sec o ia he 4H o ganiza ions.
13 ILO Wo king Pape 108
O he implemen ing go e nmen agencies included he minis y o inance, ag icul u e o ade
and comme ce.
In o ma ion on measu es o add ess in o mali y we e p esen in he en e p ise de elopmen
and labou demand sub-a eas. Un o una ely, ew documen s included hese ypes o measu es,
meaning ha in o mali y was no a main conce n when hese policy documen s we e d a ed,
wi h li le egional a ia ion.
Ou analysis o policy combina ions e ealed se e al in e es ing pa e ns. O e all, 37.2 pe cen
o he documen s add essed one policy a ea only; when combined wi h he 27.5 pe cen ha
men ioned wo policy a eas, a o al o 65 pe cen add essed wo policy a eas o ewe ( able 3).
The en mos equen combina ions o policy a eas accoun ed o 75 pe cen (363) o all doc-
umen s in he da abase. In he case o one-policy a ea documen s, educa ion and aining was
by a he mos common policy a ea in he documen s (112 o 180, o 62 pe cen o all docu-
men s). In he case o wo-policy a ea documen s, he h ee mos common combina ions we e
educa ion and aining as one o he policy a eas combined wi h labou ma ke , en e p ise de-
elopmen and labou law and legisla ion (a 49, 35 and 21 documen s, espec i ely, ou o 133).
XTable 3. Dis ibu ion o policy a eas ci ed in he You hPOL documen s (numbe and pe cen age)
Numbe o policy a eas No. o documen s Pe cen age
1180 37.2
2133 27.5
393 19.2
452 10.7
526 5.4
To al 484 100.0
No e: One case wi h no policy a ea epo ed was excluded om he analysis.
Sou ce: You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017.
The You hPOL da abase also includes mo e de ails on he pa icula aspec s o he policy docu-
men s. Fo example, 32 pe cen o he policy documen s we e he esul o a consul a i e p o-
cess ( able 4), bu 7 pe cen we e no ; and 60 pe cen did no include any in o ma ion on whe h-
e a consul a i e p ocess was unde aken be o e he o mula ion o he policy. Among hose
ha included a consul a i e p ocess, minis ies ( ep esen ing he go e nmen ), in pa icula he
minis y in cha ge o employmen , eme ged as he p edominan ac o s in leading he o mula-
ion. Some 25 pe cen o he documen s ci ed inclusion o you h associa ions in he consul a-
ion. We ound signi ican dispe sion in e ms o ac o s engaged in such consul a ions ac oss
he egions. In Eu ope, o example, he ole o wo ke s’ and employe s’ o ganiza ions as well
as minis ies o employmen was p ominen .16 Elsewhe e, such as in he Ame icas, whe e o h-
e minis ies ( o example he minis y o educa ion and you h) had a mo e ac i e consul a i e
con ibu ion, he ole o he minis ies was mo e p onounced. In A ica, ci il socie y g oups had
he mo e domina ing ole.
16 No e ha in his case, he ipa i e employmen policymaking p ocess is a p econdi ion o coun ies o access he Eu opean Union
(EU).
14 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XTable 4. Was he e a consul a i e p ocess leading o he o mula ion o he policy? (pe cen age o
You hPOL documen s)
A ica Ame icas Eu ope A ab
S a es
Asia To al
Yes 38 24 68 424 158
O he minis ies 19 31 68 514 137
Minis y in cha ge o employmen and labou 5 9 40 1 2 57
T ade unions 5 3 43 1 4 56
Employe s' o ganiza ions 5 2 41 1 4 53
In e na ional o ganiza ions 14 8 7 4 4 37
You h associa ions 8 6 15 0 5 34
Uni e si ies and academia 3 3 8 2 6 22
Subna ional go e nmen s 4 3 10 0 2 19
Va ious s akeholde s 9 1 0 1 4 15
T aining agencies and ins i u ions 1 3 6 1 1 12
P i a e sec o 5 1 2 0 1 9
Planning depa men s 1 3 0 0 3 7
O he ci il socie y g oups 14 4 7 2 5 32
O he en i ies 7 6 18 0 6 37
Unde e mined 5 4 3 1 1 14
No 0 5 18 013 36
Don' know 34 52 135 367 291
To al numbe o documen s 72 81 221 7104 485
No e: The ca ego y "o he minis ies" includes minis ies o educa ion, you h a ai s, economy, planning and inance, among o h-
e s. The ca ego y "in e na ional o ganiza ions" includes he UN and i s agencies: he ILO, Wo ld Bank, among o he s. Mul iple
esponses we e allowed. The sum o he numbe o en i ies in ol ed may sum o mo e han he o al numbe o documen s
in ol ing a consul a i e p ocess.
Sou ce: You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017.
The mos in e es ing ea u e o You hPOL, howe e , is he possibili y o acking policy docu-
men s o e a b oad ime span. As no ed p e iously, e en hough abou hal (235) o he docu-
men s we e published a e 2010, he e a e olde documen s, wi h some da ing o be o e 1990.
Making use o his ea u e, we concluded ha policy documen s became mo e complex – o in-
eg a ed – o e ime. Fo example, he da a depic ed a p og essi e di e si ica ion o policies ha
g ew o include an inc easing numbe o policy a eas. We classi ied all documen s acco ding o
he numbe o policy a eas hey co e ed, om one o i e (no documen co e ed six policy a e-
as). The a e age numbe o policy a eas co e ed by each documen was 2.2.17 Howe e , he a -
e age emained s able, a a ound wo policy a eas un il 2010. By 2015 ( he las yea o policies
in his da a se ), he mean alue g ew o 2.5 policy a eas pe documen , wi h a pa icula inc e-
men in he uppe pa o he dis ibu ion. This means ha he sha e o documen s wi h ou o
mo e a eas had especially inc eased o e ime ( igu e 2, panel A).
17 One case wi h no policy a ea epo ed was excluded om he analysis.
15 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XFigu e 3. E olu ion o policy a eas and numbe o policy documen s (pe cen age o You hPOL documen s)
Sou ce: You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017.
The ocus o policy documen s ce ainly shi ed o e ime, wi h he only excep ion o educa ion
and aining, which emained ai ly s able. O he a eas, such as labou ma ke , labou demand
and en e p ise de elopmen , had a sus ained inc ease in he sha e o policies including hem.
Howe e , a con a y end was also obse ed ega ding labou law and legisla ion, whose p es-
ence in he You hPOL policy documen s declined ( igu e 2, panel B).
Figu e 3 expands he analysis by looking a he a e age numbe o speci ic sub-a eas epo ed
unde each policy a ea, which can be conside ed a measu e o complexi y, bu also a b oad meas
-
u e o p io i y in policymaking. In e es ingly, we ound a end owa ds inc eased complexi y a
his le el as well. In he case o educa ion and aining, he numbe o sub-a eas clea ly inc eased
a e 1991, om ewe han wo policy sub-a eas o mo e han h ee. Mac oeconomic and sec-
o al policies, labou demand and labou ma ke policies basically emained a a ound one in
he policy sub-a eas, wi h li le inc ease a e 2010, especially in he mac oeconomic and sec o al
policies. Labou law and legisla ion inc eased sligh ly in he 1990s bu hen dec eased as o 2015.
16 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XFigu e 4. E olu ion o he numbe o sub-a eas wi hin each policy a ea, by ime pe iod (a e age numbe o
sub-a eas in You hPOL documen s)
No e: The e ical axis indica es he a e age numbe o sub-a eas pe policy a ea pe documen .
Sou ce: You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017.
In he case o en e p ise de elopmen , we ound an impo an inc ease in he 1990s and in o
he 2000s bu hen a downwa d end a e 2010. Al hough his e olu ion dese es mo e de-
ailed analysis, i is clea ha suppo ing en e p ise de elopmen o you h equi es mul iple in-
e en ions, including business de elopmen se ices and inancial and non- inancial se ices
ha can be cos ly and di icul o sus ain, especially i o he impo an policy a eas, such as mac-
oeconomic and sec o al policies, do no accompany hese in e en ions.18 The e a e, o cou se,
impo an egional di e ences in hese e olu ions.19
The You hPOL da a se also showed ha policies inc easingly included budge a y alloca ions
and included quan i a i e employmen a ge s. A ound 39 pe cen o he documen s ha in-
cluded a budge we e ela i ely mo e likely o ha e been p oduced in he la e yea s o he da a
se . Among he documen s om 2011 o 2015, 34 pe cen had a budge assigned. F om 2001
o 2010, a ound 30 pe cen o documen s ea u ed a budge a y alloca ion. In con as , he e-
quency o budge a y alloca ion among olde documen s ba ely eached 10 pe cen . Simila ly,
he inclusion o a quan i a i e employmen a ge became mo e common in he la e pe iod.
Figu e 4 illus a es hese ends o e ime.
18 Chacal ana (2012) epo ed he case o Pe u, whe e, in 2012, some 700,000 young pe sons wan ed o open a es au an , aking ad-
an age o he gas onomic boom in ha coun y. I his we e o happen, i would need o be s ongly complemen ed by mac oe-
conomic and sec o ial policies, especially p i a e and public in es men . O he wise, he gas onomic ma ke would be nega i ely
a ec ed.
19 Figu e A4 in he annex shows he same g aph by geog aphical egions.
17 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XFigu e 5. E olu ion o selec ed policy documen cha ac e is ics o e ime, by pe iod (pe cen age o
You hPOL documen s)
No e: The a ge g oups included you h, women, pe sons wi h disabili ies, ulne able g oups, s uden s, unemployed pe sons,
u al a ea esiden s and low-income g oups, among o he s.
Sou ce: You hPOL da abase, accessed June 2017.
A conce ning issue is he opic o impac e alua ion. Only a small p opo ion o he You hPOL doc-
umen s included p o ision o an impac e alua ion. A ound one hal o he documen s in he da-
abase did no include any p o ision: Nea ly 40 pe cen (192 documen s) did no cla i y p o isions
in any way on his, and only 7 pe cen o he documen s indica ed ha he policy included such
18 ILO Wo king Pape 108
p o ision, including he ype o e alua ion. The majo i y o hem we e om Eu opean coun ies.
E en hough he e was an inc easing end on his – a e 2011, a ound 26 pe cen o he doc-
umen s included some p o isions o impac e alua ion, he p opo ion was s ill small and con-
as ed wi h he ac ha in ecen decades he e had been emendous de elopmen in impac
e alua ions and you h- ela ed in e en ions ha e been a ecu ing opic o hese e alua ions.20
Howe e , mos o he e alua ions o you h employmen in e en ions ound in he You hPOL
documen s we e ca ied ou on a single ea men se ing, and hey ocused on p og ammes.
The e idence on he impac o policies, including mul iple in e en ions o ea men s and hei
coo dina ion, was sca ce.
Fo policymaking pu poses, his ype o in o ma ion on wha policy is wo king and wha is no
wo king would allow impo an ques ions, such as: Which is he igh policy mix in e ms o com-
ponen s o policies o s a egies? Does a s a egy include oo much o a policy a ea in which we
do no know much abou i s impac , hus i s e ec i eness? Do hese s a egies include an impo -
an sha e o aining and educa ion measu es because he e is in o ma ion ha hey ac ually
wo k? In some cases, he li e a u e exhibi s publica ion bias – a endency no o publish nega i e
esul s, which indica es ha an enabling ins i u ional se ing is key o impac e alua ion and o
lea ning wha wo ks and co ec ing acco dingly.
Insigh s om he Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase (ac i e
policy documen s)
As p e iously explained, he ILO You h Employmen P og amme swi ched o compiling you h
employmen policies in a new da abase in 2021, he Employmen Policy Ga eway. Using his da a
se , which e e s o cu en ly ac i e policy documen s, we can say ha policy discussions ha e
b oadened, al hough some opics gained he majo i y o a en ion. These include he u u e o
wo k (ILO 2019a), he ole o new echnologies (A ila 2021; Pinedo, O’Higgins and Be g 2021),
he g een ansi ion (Nebuloni and an des Ree 2021) and he impac o he COVID-19 pandemic,
including i s long- e m consequences on he u u e ajec o ies o you h (Chacal ana e al. 2022).
In pa icula since he end o he pandemic, he e seems o be inc eased consensus ha you h
employmen policies equi e in eg a ed and coope a i e policy esponses ha in ol e collabo-
a ion be ween di e en ins i u ions o ully add ess he e ol ing challenges ha young people
ace. This includes inc eased ocus on demand-side policies o os e change in policymaking
and in labou ma ke ou comes, bu ins ead o asking you hs o p epa e o he u u e he e is
now discussion on how o s a building he u u e o hem (Chacal ana and Dasgup a 2021).
Empi ical e idence o he mos ecen policy pe iod is ound in he ILO Employmen Policy
Ga eway, a da abase co e ing all 187 Membe S a es and hei na ional employmen policies
and s a egies o p omo e you h employmen . This da abase includes a sec ion on you h em-
ploymen s a egies ha , in line wi h he SDG amewo k (indica o 8.b.1) and ILO guidelines,
de ines a na ional you h employmen s a egy as “an o icially [go e nmen ] adop ed documen
ha a icula es a se o measu es and p o isions aimed a p omo ing you h employmen wi hin
a de ined ime ame”.21 I no es ha a you h employmen s a egy can be pa o o he policy
documen s, such as a na ional de elopmen policy o a b oade you h s a egy. The in o ma ion
in his da abase o igina es om coun ies ha comple e and submi he ILO Su ey on Na ional
S a egies o You h Employmen , which is adminis e ed in he amewo k o he 2030 Agenda
epo ing p ocess o SDG indica o 8.b.1.22
20 The numbe o impac s udies ocusing on you h employmen p og ammes has been enough o gene a e me a- e alua ions, also
called sys ema ic e iews, o s udies used o agg ega e indings om a se ies o e alua ions. See, o example, a sys ema ic e iew
o 289 impac s udies by Be che man, Oli as and Da (2004). See also Klu e e al. 2016 and Eichho s and Rinne 2016. Klu e (2016)
concluded ha , al hough he e is no speci ic combina ion o se ices ha always wo ks, p og ammes ha add complemen a y se -
ices o he main in e en ion, ega dless o wha hose a e, end o do be e .
21 See ILO Su ey on Na ional S a egies o You h Employmen 2019.
22 See Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase, accessed 10 Augus 2023.
19 ILO Wo king Pape 108
As o 2023, some 130, o 70 pe cen , o he 187 ILO Membe S a es had indica ed ha ing an ac i e
you h employmen s a egy (as de ined in he p e ious pa ag aph). By egion, ha b eaks down
o 86 pe cen o Membe S a es in Eu ope, 67 pe cen in A ica, 66 pe cen in he Ame icas, 61
pe cen in Asia and he Paci ic and 45 pe cen in he A ab S a es. O hem, some 82 pe cen
had indica ed ha he s a egy had public unding. By egion, his b oke down o 87 pe cen o
Membe S a es in he Ame icas, 86 pe cen in Eu ope as well as Asia and he Paci ic, 75 pe cen
in A ica and 60 pe cen in he A ab S a es ( able 5).
XTable 5. Coun ies wi h a you h employmen s a egy (pe cen age o Employmen Policy Ga eway docu-
men s)
Coun ies in he
da abase
Coun ies wi h an ac i e you h
employmen s a egy
Among coun ies wi h a
you h employmen s a egy,
pe cen age ha includes pub-
lic unding o he s a egy
All coun ies 187 130 70% 82%
Regions
A ica 54 36 67% 75%
Ame icas 35 23 66% 87%
A ab S a es 11 545% 60%
Asia and Paci ic 36 22 61% 86%
Eu ope 51 44 86% 86%
Sou ce: ILO Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase, accessed 10 Augus 2023.
We made he same conclusion as wi h wha was ound in You hPOL – ha he mos equen
measu es included in you h employmen s a egies we e policies and p og ammes ela ed o
educa ion and aining. In he Employmen Policy Ga eway documen s, a ound 98 pe cen o
he ILO Membe S a es ha e his ype o in e en ion (all policies a e s ill being applied). The sec-
ond-mos equen in e en ions a e labou ma ke policies (82 pe cen ), including o example,
public employmen se ices o ela ed measu es, while he hi d-mos equen measu es ela e
o labou demand, a 78 pe cen o he you h employmen s a egies ( igu e 5). O he coun ies
a e also using (o ha e used) en e p ise de elopmen (74 pe cen o Membe S a es), labou law
and legisla ion (66 pe cen o Membe S a es) o mac oeconomic and sec o al policies (56 pe
cen o Membe S a es) o p omo e you h employmen .
Mac oeconomic and sec o al policies a e also usually conside ed demand-side policies because
labou demand is conside ed a de i ed demand om he p oduc ma ke . No de ails on sub-a -
ea policies a e a ailable in he da a se .
20 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XFigu e 6. Policy a eas included in he you h employmen s a egies, by egion (pe cen age o Employmen
Policy Ga eway documen s, calcula ed among coun ies wi h a you h employmen s a egy)
Sou ce: ILO Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase, accessed 10 Augus 2023.
The composi ion o you h employmen s a egies a ies conside ably ac oss egions. In Eu ope,
he e is g ea di e ence be ween he h ee mos equen measu es (educa ion and aining,
labou ma ke policies and labou demand) and he es in e ms o incidence. In Asia and he
Paci ic, educa ion and aining a e p esen in all cases, and he o he wo measu es a e used in
a ound 70 pe cen o he s a egies. Simila o he Ame icas, whe e educa ion and aining is
p esen in 91 pe cen o he s a egies, he wo o he measu es a e ci ed in 60 pe cen o less
o he s a egies. In he A ab S a es, he h ee mos equen s a egies a e educa ion and ain-
ing, en e p ise de elopmen and mac oeconomic policies, while in A ica, he mos equen
s a egies a e educa ion and aining and en e p ise de elopmen , a 97 pe cen in bo h cases.
The ILO Employmen Policy Ga eway also p o ides in o ma ion on he p ocess o elabo a ing
he you h employmen s a egies, in pa icula , whe he he p ocess included you h pa icipa-
ion ( igu e 6). In gene al, some 42 pe cen o he documen s indica ed ha you h we e ully
in ol ed and 21 pe cen indica ed ha you h we e pa ially in ol ed (only o some elemen s
o he you h employmen s a egy). Coun ies in A ica and he Asia–Paci ic egion epo ed a
high pe cen age o you h employmen s a egies in ol ing social pa ne s as well as he high-
es pe cen age o you h being ully in ol ed. This means ha coun ies included you h-led o -
ganiza ions, hough in di e en modes and deg ees, in hei na ional you h employmen poli-
cymaking.23 Inco po a ing he pe spec i es o young people in o he policymaking p ocess, ia
social dialogue, can ensu e ha ini ia i es a e ele an , inclusi e and aligned wi h he needs and
aspi a ions o you hs.
23 No e ha he concep o “you h-inclusi e social dialogue” has ecen ly gained a en ion. Acco ding o he ILO, i e e s o he inclusion
o you h in he ipa i e social dialogue s uc u e ha includes wo ke s’ o ganiza ions, employe s’ o ganiza ions and go e nmen s.
See Mexi (2023) o mo e de ails on he you h-inclusi e social dialogue.
21 ILO Wo king Pape 108
XFigu e 7. You h pa icipa ion in he o mula ion o a you h employmen s a egy, by egion among 130
coun ies wi h a you h employmen s a egy (pe cen age among Employmen Policy Ga eway documen s)
Sou ce: ILO Employmen Policy Ga eway da abase, accessed 10 Augus 2023.
28 ILO Wo king Pape 108
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30 ILO Wo king Pape 108
Acknowledgemen s
We ecei ed help ul commen s om Sangheon Lee, Ba ba a Pe o , Ma ia P ie o, Eleono D’Achon,
Sa a Elde , Ma celo Cuau le, E elyn Vezza and Johannes Weiss. All emaining e o s a e ou s.
Employmen Policy Depa men
(EMPLOYMENT)
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion
Rou e des Mo illons 4
1211 Gene a 22
Swi ze land
T +41 22 799 7861
[email p o ec ed]g
www.ilo.o g/employmen
XAd ancing social jus ice, p omo ing decen wo k
The In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion is he Uni ed Na ions agency o he wo ld o wo k. We b ing oge he go e nmen s, employe s and wo ke s
o imp o e he wo king li es o all people, d i ing a human-cen ed app oach o he u u e o wo k h ough employmen c ea ion, igh s a wo k,
social p o ec ion and social dialogue.
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