US labor-market data indicate a sharp deterioration in job prospects for young workers. The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is now exceeding 15%, putting the measure on course for its highest level in a decade, according to figures cited by labor-market analysts. Among recent college graduates aged 20 to 24, joblessness has averaged 8.1% over the past three months, the steepest reading in four years and roughly two percentage points higher than 19 months ago. The rise cuts across educational lines. A Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis blog post shows that the long-standing gap between unemployment rates for young men with and without some college experience has all but disappeared since the post-pandemic recovery, suggesting that partial higher education no longer provides the labor-market edge it once did. Economists say the latest readings echo stress levels last seen during the 2008 recession. The worsening numbers arrive as policymakers and advocacy groups prepare to mark International Youth Day on 12 August, a United Nations observance that this year focuses on translating global development goals into local action. The UN has warned that meaningful youth engagement is essential to sustainable growth, underscoring the urgency of addressing the US employment setbacks.