2021 International Youth Day: 3 Videos that Highlight How Businesses Can Support Young Workers

August 12 marks International Youth Day. 2021 is a challenging year, but for young people it’s especially hard. Lockdowns, school closures and income-loss of family members are all having a toll on children.

According to the UN and UNICEF, child labour has increased for the first time in two decades: 160 million children, or one out of every ten children globally, are in child labour. The pandemic will push many more children into child labour, including into hazardous work.

Now, more than ever, young people need support to reach their potential. Businesses can play an important and impactful role in ensuring young people get access to decent work and skill-building opportunities. Supporting youth through inclusive hiring policies and youth development programmes also helps companies minimise risks including child labour.

In this video, we highlight some of the ways businesses can support young people and help them thrive. Below, we also showcase two videos about a youth development programme in Vietnam and Indonesia that enabled two factories to identify and offer suitable jobs with regulated work hours, decent pay and skill-building opportunities to local youth.

Youth are the Future: How Businesses Can Support Young Workers