International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Employment and Social Trends 2026 report, has observed that the service-related jobs is a key driver of employment as it offers better paying and formal jobs for women and youths, particularly in developing economies.
These jobs are within remote, digital and knowledge-based work, which includes back-office operations, accounting, jobs in the creative industries, and tech-enabled services.
Marva Corley, senior economist and trade expert, ILO commenting on the report during the ILO’s Future of Work podcast.,said, “Nearly half of the jobs linked to trade globally, around 465 million, are now connected to services rather than goods. Trade-linked jobs are critical for reducing informality and providing entry points for women and young people into the labour market,” she said.
However, shifting trade patterns leaves some regions behind. “In Africa, where much trade still happens outside the region, this limits opportunities to integrate into global and regional supply chains,” she said.
In Nigeria, where youths face high informality, this presents an opportunity to integrate into service trade, remote, digital and knowledge-based work. These include back-office operations, accounting, creative industries, and tech-enabled services.
explained, “Large numbers of young people are entering the labour market and are unable to find decent work. Many are trapped in low-quality employment.”
Shrinking workforces in developed countries, opportunity for Nigerian youths
The ILO report also indicates that labour markets in Europe and Central Asia faces shrinking workforces and rising dependency ratios. Ageing societies are under pressure to accelerate productivity growth, offering Nigeria the chance to benefit from skills transfer and international exposure. As Stefan Kühn, senior economist, ILO and lead author of the report observed, “In high-income countries, labour force growth is already at zero and is set to shrink. There is a real risk of labour shortages”.
This imbalance represents a strategic economic opportunity for Nigerian youths that could be converted to exportable human capital, generating remittances and reducing domestic unemployment.
Such approaches would ensure that migration becomes a planned development instrument rather than a survival strategy.
Gender and care economy opportunities
Gender inequality remains a global feature of labour markets. The report estimates that only two in five workers worldwide are women. The demographic shift also expands opportunities in the care economy, where women globally dominate employment.
For Nigerian women, aged-based labour shortages abroad present openings to participate in formal care work, technical services, and digital trade, provided that safeguards ensure decent work, fair wages, and social protection, in line with the ILO’s emphasis that “decent work is not just about having a job. It is about earning a decent income, having access to social protection and enjoying rights at work.”
Other findings from the report indicates:
Informality remains the dominant reality globally
Informal employment continues to define the lived experience of work for most people worldwide. The report estimates that 57.7 per cent of the global workforce, around 2.1 billion people, is informally employed.
Youths not in employment, education or training
Young people continue to face disproportionate barriers to decent employment. While higher youth unemployment is not new, the report highlights deeper concerns.
“What worries us most is not just unemployment,” Kühn said, “but the share of young people not in employment, education or training One in five young people globally, about 260 million fall into this category.”
“They are not gaining the experience they need to succeed later in the labour market,” he said. “That figure has stabilised rather than improved, despite global commitments to reduce it.”
