While overall unemployment has decreased in recent years in sub-Saharan Africa to 7.9%, ILO predicts that up to 50 million people could become unemployed in 2009, with the hardest hit region being sub-Saharan Africa.
The region has the world's youngest working population and 75% of available jobs there are considered “vulnerable,” according to ILO. The agency estimated that one-third of job-seeking youths have simply given up or are working in jobs that pay less than US$2 a day.