A new UNICEF poll has revealed that nearly 40% of migrant and displaced youth identified education and skills training as their top priorities, while 30% named employment opportunities.

However, the poll indicates that approximately 70% of those surveyed cited limited financial resources as a major constraint to accessing learning opportunities, while almost 40% reported a lack of available jobs as their biggest barrier to earning an income.

These findings were revealed through a U-Report poll of more than 26,000 people, including almost 9,000 young people (aged 14-24), across 119 countries. The poll, conducted between May 6 and June 1, 2021, asked respondents about their aspirations to learn and earn, and the unique barriers they face trying to access the labour market with or without legal status.

Insights from the poll along with stories from migrant and displaced youth themselves are included in the newly released ‘Talent on the Move’ report. Also, the poll finds that the majority of youth on the move want to learn professional skills (e.g. law, administration, business, education), followed by languages and tech skills. Meanwhile, almost 90% reported feeling that they can contribute their opinions, skills and talents in their community.

Call to action

“Children and young people on the move are telling the world that they have big dreams and aspirations for their lives. Yet many are prevented from securing opportunities for learning or employment because of their migration status or lack of financial resources and support systems” .
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Consequently, the UNICEF Executive Director called on the international community “to help them achieve their dreams and ambitions”. She further highlighted that despite their potential to help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges, refugee, migrant and displaced youth are often left without recognized credentials, social networks, mentors, or peer support, as they move and settle in unfamiliar places.

Meanwhile, the report highlights the need to invest in and scale up solutions that provide portable, flexible, personalized, adaptable and inclusive learning to earning pathways for young people as they move, as well as meaningful opportunities for young people to create positive social impact in their communities, networks and homes.

Migrants as positive assets

As part of the report, UNICEF urges governments and policy makers to adopt specific recommendations including to the need to recognize young people on the move as positive assets and rights-holders. Also, it urges governments to build more relevant, sustainable and effective education and work systems for young people on the move that recognize their rights and agency.

Countries are also urged to ensure that education systems respond to changing job markets and demand, providing young people on the move with the key employability skills such as soft skills, critical thinking and adaptability. The recommendations also include the need to create and connect youth on the move with employment and livelihood opportunities.

There are currently 281 million international migrants. One in five is a young person and 36 million are children. Worldwide, more than 4 out of 10 forcibly displaced persons are younger than 18, with 33 million children living in forced displacement either within their own country or abroad. Each day of 2020, an additional 26,000 children were displaced by climate-induced disasters alone.