This issue of Global Employment Trends for Youth provides an update on youth labour markets around the world,focusing both on the continuing labour market crisis and on structural issues in youth labour markets. This report provides an overview of youth labour markets at the global and regional levels; focuses on the skills mismatch in advanced economies; examines recent trends and identifies groups that are more vulnerable to mismatch,which include youth in general and young women in particular; discusses the situation facing youth in developing regions where labour is abundant,capital is scarce,and a stark duality exists between the traditional economy and the “modern” economy. This report also proposes a model for greater disaggregation of traditional indicators,using data from the results of the school-to-work transition surveys undertaken as part of the Work4Youth partnership between the International Labour Office and The MasterCard Foundation. It continues to examine youth labour markets in developing economies,using the newly available micro-data,but focusing on the topic of labour market transitions. Five key policy areas that can be adapted to national and local circumstances were identified in this report: (i) employment and economic policies to increase aggregate demand and improve access to finance; (ii) education and training to ease the school-to-work transition and to prevent labour market mismatches; (iii) labour market policies to target employment of disadvantaged youth; (iv) entrepreneurship and self-employment to assist potential young entrepreneurs; and (v) labour rights that are based on international labour standards to ensure that young people receive equal treatment.