LIBRARY RESOURCE

The Report highlights impressive progress on human development over the past quarter century. Today people are living longer, more children are in school and more people have access to clean water and basic sanitation. Per capita income in the world has gone up, and poverty has gone down, resulting in a better standard of living for many people. The digital revolution has connected people across countries and societies. Work has contributed to this progress by building people’s capabilities.

The long-term effects of the U.S. financial crisis and ensuing global downturn continue to be felt worldwide. In particular, it is the new entrants into the labour market – the youth – who are bearing the brunt of the sluggish global economy. Young people are three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, while even amongst the employed youth, many young people have only informal, temporary, or unpaid family jobs.

Vietnam’s achievements in reducing poverty, boosting the economy, and creating early gains in youth development make it a real success story. Yet according to the report you are about to read, that trajectory of growth and development can only be sustained with more targeted investments in the country’s younger generation—in such areas as marketable skills training, expanded civic engagement opportunities, and attention to the specific challenges facing Vietnamese young women.

What are the gaps that keep young people from moving smoothly from education to employment? And how can education-focused entrepreneurs ease the transition?

Youth unemployment is a global problem, especially in developing and emerging markets. One of the reasons for this is the mismatch between employable skills and current approaches to education. Solutions are emerging to address the gap, but this is a complex problem that requires innovation in and coordination between the public and private sectors.