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Transitions to the formal economy
Tackling the informal economy, supporting quality jobs for young people

WHY
Globally, half of the labour force is working and producing in the informal economy. This work is often characterized by low pay, erratic hours, uncertain employment status and hazardous working conditions. A high proportion of these workers are young men and women, with evidence from twenty countries showing that more than three quarters of young workers aged 15-29 are engaged in informal employment. Decent Jobs for Youth aims to support young people currently working in the informal economy to make positive transitions towards formal employment.

HOW
Decent Jobs for Youth focuses on improving intermediation between employers and young people looking for their first formal job experience. This includes increased recognition of prior learning and upgrading informal apprenticeships so that they can be counted as real work experience. Innovative technology tools, such as electronic and mobile payment systems, are crucial for assisting young people in starting their first formal business, or in formalizing their ongoing entrepreneurial endeavours. By focusing on the transition to the formal economy, Decent Jobs for Youth complements wider action on the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204).
WHO
The ILO is committed to leading on this thematic priority. Decent Jobs for Youth brings together a growing number of partners who are committed to facilitating young people’s transition to the formal economy.
Support young people to obtain a formal job
EVENTS
DECENT JOBS FOR YOUTH ACADEMY: ACCELERATING ACTION FOR LASTING IMPACT
The 2025 Decent Jobs for Youth Academy is a blended learning experience, combining online learning with dynamic face-to-face interactions.…

Supporting youth employment in developing countries through apprenticeship programmes
Decent Jobs for Youth (DJY) and Generation Unlimited (GenU) are organizing a joint webinar on supporting youth employment in…


Webinar on youth employment and school-to-work transitions in Africa
Watch the recording of the event here Download PPTs: Youth Transitions in Africa AU-ILO Youth Employment Strategy YouthStats The…

ILO-IFAD Regional policy dialogue on youth employment in the rural economy
This multi-stakeholder dialogue, organised by ILO and IFAD, will bring together governments, social partners and other key stakeholders on…
Webinar on Career Guidance for Building Young People’s Future: The Role of Employment Services
L'orientation professionnelle pour construire l'avenir des jeunes : le rôle des services de l'emploi Orientación profesional para construir…

Workshop - Unlocking Data to tell the Story of Education in Africa
Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA) ZiziAfrique, EdTech Hub and Decent Jobs for Youth are organizing a webinar to get your views on…

Virtual Meeting of the Global Network on Youth Transitions: COVID-19 and Youth Transitions
This will be the first meeting of the Global Interdisciplinary Policy Research Network on Youth Transitions, since its launch on 21…

Beating the odds: Youth on the move as entrepreneurs
Youth Business International will be launching its new report, Beating the odds: Supporting youth on the move to become successful…
Youth & COVID-19 Session at the Youth at Heart Forum
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a systematic, deep and disproportionate impact on young people. It has been particularly hard on young women…

Global Survey on Youth & COVID-19: Impacts on education, employment and social activism
A joint webinar between the John D. Gerhart Center for Philantrophy & Civic Engagement at the American University in Cario and the…

A New Decade for Gender Equality in Youth Employment
Please note that due to the on-going concern about the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Annual Conference has been postponed…

YOUTH TRANSITIONS - A GLOBAL INTERDISCIPLINARY POLICY RESEARCH CONFERENCE
The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, with financial support…

Youth Forum at the GMFD 2019 Summit
This event will be held ahead of the 2019 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit. The annual GFMD summit is a state-led,…

17th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
30 Nobel Peace Laureates, awarded organizations, prize recipients and Peace Laureates’ foundations from around the world arrived in Merida…

Accelerating progress under SDG8 and Promoting full employment and decent work for all
This event features the launch of the ILO report "Time to Act for SDG 8: Integrating Decent Work, Sustained Growth and Environmental…

Learning to Learn for Life and Work on World Youth Skills Day
This event is co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN, Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN, Office of the…

International Labour Conference 100 Youth Debate
This Youth Debate at the International Labour Conference 100 brings together young leaders from across the globe to share their views about…

Expert Group Meeting on SDG 17
Building on the outcome of the 2018 Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on SDG 17, the 2019 EGM will continue to focus on the role of multi-…

UNIAPAC Africa - General Assembly
Under the theme “Business as a noble vocation”, UNIPAC Africa will be holding a general Assembly in Cabo Verde in May 2019. The event…

2019 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
Every year, ECOSOC Partnership Forum provides the opportunity to listen to the world’s most influential thinkers and actors. The Forum…

WORLD CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUTH 2019 AND YOUTH FORUM LISBOA +21
In August 1998, several commitments were stated in the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, as part of the I World…
Turbocharging Youth Employment in Africa: A New Approach
This event will build on dialogue in assessing new strategies to jointly boost youth employment in Africa. The conference is convened with…

The Football for Good Summit 2018
The Football for Good Summit 2018 comprises a series of events ranging from capacity building workshops to regional meetings of the…

Global Youth Employment Forum 2019
The Global Youth Employment Forum 2019 - Today and Tomorrow with Decent Jobs for Youth aims to engage youth in sharing their employment…
Rights and Voices of Youth
To address the extent of today’s youth employment challenge, it takes more than just one organization or one sector; it literally takes a…

AIESEC International Congress 2018
The AIESEC International Congress will provide a platform for more than 700 youths to celebrate the development of young leadership,…

Innovations for Decent Jobs for Youth
The event will provide a platform for governments, social partners, youth and civil society, private sector, UN entities, foundations and…
YENA Conference 2017: The Future on Youth and Employment in North Africa
The International Labour Organization will host a High-Level Conference on Youth and Employment in North Africa with participants from…

Productive Inclusion of vulnerable young people.
The 1MiO initiative aims to create one million opportunities for skills development, employment,&
O365 Portfolio "Sport, Education and Livelihoods"
Olympism365, spearheaded by the IOC, builds a better world through sport by bringing together soc