UN And ILO Warn Nearly 300 Million Workers Live In Extreme Poverty

The UN and the ILO warned that having a job does not necessarily mean earning a living, saying that «casi 300 millones de trabajadores viven en la miseria» and that nearly 300 million workers live in extreme poverty with incomes «inferiores a 3 dólares al día».

“- Published The experts are talking about a "lost generation" as more than one million under-24-year-olds are left in limbo, without a job or a training course that should lead them to one”

BBC

The ILO’s report Tendencias sociales y de empleo 2026 projected that this year around 2100 million people will work in the informal sector, with limited access to social protection, labor rights, and job security.

BBC

It also projected that the global unemployment rate would stay around 4,9 % this year, equivalent to about 186 million people without work, while youth in low-income countries face a «situación laboral mundial de los jóvenes» described as «desalentadora».

The UN report said more than a quarter (27,9 %) of young people in low-income countries «no estudia, no trabaja ni recibe formación», and it warned that the labor market risks being further harmed by «inteligencia artificial y la incertidumbre de las políticas comerciales».

ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo called for coordinated action, warning that «A menos que los gobiernos, los empleadores y los trabajadores actúen conjuntamente» to expand quality employment, deficits of decent work would persist and social cohesion would be put at risk.

In Britain, a government-commissioned review warned of a “lost generation” as the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training topped one million in the first quarter of the year for the first time since 2013.

Alan Milburn, a former Labour cabinet minister who led the review, said, “We are at risk of a lost generation,” adding that “It’s a warning that far too many young people are reaching adulthood only to find the door to opportunity closed,” at a press conference.

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The BBC also highlighted how job shortages are affecting young people directly, quoting Zaynah, 24, saying she has applied for more than 200 jobs and “has never heard back from any of the employers.”

Luke, 23, told the BBC that he has not found a job even after applying for more than 400 positions, describing the application process as “quite vile” and saying the rejections “definitely make you depressed.”

The BBC’s Your Voice account of Eloise, 24, said she has had four interviews and that an entry-level position told her she “needed more experience,” leaving her worried she could end up trapped in a minimum wage-life.

The ILO report described how global employment conditions are shaped by informality and policy uncertainty, projecting that the informal sector will absorb about 2100 million workers this year while access to job security remains limited.

“In this sense, the report 'Social and Employment Trends 2026', published this Wednesday, estimates that the global number of unemployed will be about 186 million this year and almost 187 million next year, nearly four million more unemployed than in 2024”

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It warned that youth employment in low-income countries is “desalentadora,” and it cautioned that the labor market could be further harmed by «inteligencia artificial y la incertidumbre de las políticas comerciales».

In the UK, the review estimated that without action the NEET figure could rise to 1.25 million, or one in six young people, within five years, and it said the economic cost of the youth unemployment crisis was estimated at around £125 billion ($168 billion) per year.

The report also said 84 percent of NEETs want to be employed or in training, while blaming a “sharp decline” in entry-level roles such as hospitality jobs, weekend jobs and apprenticeships.

Milburn summarized the problem as a lack of opportunity and support, saying, “There is no shortage of effort on the part of young people. The shortage is of opportunity and of support,” while the UN’s Houngbo urged governments, employers, and workers to act together to expand quality employment for women and young people.