ILO, EU Strengthen Youth Employment Policy Through NEET Data Workshop in MENA

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union have held a two-day regional capacity-building workshop aimed at improving evidence-based policymaking for young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The workshop, hosted in Amman, brought together national statistical offices, ministries of labour, and employers' and workers' organizations from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, with a shared focus on strengthening the measurement and policy use of the Youth NEET indicator.

Measuring Youth Vulnerability Through the NEET Indicator

The event centred on the theme "Measuring and Using the NEET Indicator for Evidence-Based Youth Policy," highlighting the importance of NEET statistics as a key labour market tool for identifying vulnerable youth excluded from both work and learning opportunities.

Participants explored how better NEET measurement can support:

• Stronger labour market diagnostics

• More targeted youth employment programmes

• Improved monitoring of policy outcomes

• Better coordination between institutions

One in Three Youth in MENA Are NEET

The workshop underscored the scale of the challenge facing the region.

In 2023:

• Nearly one in three young people aged 15–29 in MENA were NEET

• NEET rates exceeded 40% among young women in several countries

While the NEET indicator is widely recognised internationally, many countries continue to face obstacles including:

• Differences in definitions

• Limited data comparability

• Challenges translating statistics into concrete policy reforms

Youth NEETs represent both a labour market vulnerability and an untapped opportunity for economic and social development.

EU-ILO Partnership Supporting Youth Activation Policies

Organised under the EU-ILO regional Youth NEET (Y-NEET) project, the workshop aimed to bridge the gap between data production and policy implementation.

The initiative promotes the practical use of NEET evidence to design and monitor integrated youth employment and activation policies, including Youth Guarantee-type approaches.

"We are pleased to cooperate with the ILO on the regional Youth NEETs initiative," said Ms Carmen Voigt from the European Union Delegation in Jordan.

She highlighted progress in Jordan, where comprehensive youth NEET profiles have been formally adopted by the Ministry of Labour.

Jordan Leads Regional Progress on NEET Profiling

Jordanian officials noted that hosting the workshop reflects the country's commitment to evidence-driven youth strategies.

"Jordan is the first country in the region to produce a comprehensive NEET statistical profile," said Ms Lara Tamimi from the Jordanian Ministry of Labour.

"This was not simply a compilation of figures, but a strategic step to better understand the realities facing our youth and identify the barriers preventing their integration."

Linking Statistics to Policy Action

The workshop combined hands-on technical training with policy-oriented sessions, including:

• Calculating NEET indicators using labour force survey data

• Analysing NEET trends and youth profiles

• Using evidence to target employment services and skills programmes

• Strengthening inter-institutional coordination across ministries and agencies

Sessions were jointly facilitated by ILO labour statisticians and employment policy specialists to ensure statistical accuracy aligned with real-world policy relevance.

Sustained Regional Collaboration Ahead

By the end of the workshop, participants reported:

• A shared understanding of NEET measurement aligned with international standards

• Improved capacity to analyse youth NEET profiles

• Enhanced ability to translate data into policy design and monitoring

The workshop also launched a follow-up process, including online mentoring and a regional comparative synthesis, to sustain collaboration between data producers and policymakers across MENA.

Building Evidence-Based Youth Futures

The ILO and EU said strengthening the use of labour market data is essential to addressing youth exclusion and ensuring young people across the region can access employment, education and training opportunities.

The workshop marks a step forward in building stronger statistical foundations for youth employment strategies — particularly at a time when NEET rates remain among the highest globally.