Abstract
Young Mongolians continue to experience difficulties in their journey towards the labour market. The 2014 labour force data reveals an unemployment rate of 17.4 per cent among young people. Many young Mongolians also experience a lengthy period of unemployment before finding a job. For those who are in work, many young people are often found in the informal economy, which absorbs over 90 per cent of rural working youth and nearly one- third of urban youth. There is also evidence that despite greater educational attainment by young women, their prospects in the labour market remain limited. Moreover, young women often have lower wages and higher levels of occupational segregation than young men. Nonetheless, young men are also at risk. Young men from rural communities are more likely to enter the labour market early and thus face a long-term trajectory of informal and low-paid jobs. These weak employment outcomes are all the more striking since they persisted even during previously substantial economic growth rates. This report has been developed to try to shed light on these difficult transitions to the labour market by examining the policy environment, identifying gaps and proposing recommendations to support Mongolian efforts to improve the employment prospects of its young people.