Workers and trade unions across the world are marking the 2026 World Day for Decent Work this Wednesday, October 7, with the theme “Young Workers Organising for the Future,” as declared by the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC.
The day has been observed annually since 2008, as a global mobilisation for fair wages, secured employment, social protection and respect for workers’ rights.
This year’s focus is deliberate. According to the ITUC, young workers from grocery stores in Alberta to tech campuses in Seoul and markets in Abuja are leading a new wave of union organising and strikes to win fair pay.
The Confederation said the theme spotlights what young people are living through and the collective tactics that are winning them better deals at a time when democratic rights and labour rights are under pressure worldwide.
The International Labour Organisation, ILO, reports that global youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025, leaving nearly 67 million young people aged 15 to 24 out of work.
In Canada, Unifor reports youth unemployment at 12.9% double the national average, while in Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, continues to put youth unemployment and underemployment at over 40%, fuelled by precarious gig work, low wages and rising cost of living.
In a statement released for the 2026 World Day For Decent Work, ITUC General Secretary, Luc Triangle said young workers are carrying the heaviest weight of today’s economy, facing insecure contracts, mounting education debt, and an affordability crisis that makes building a decent life harder than ever.
In Abuja, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC joined affiliates to commemorate the day with a webinar titled “Young Workers Organising for the Future,” featuring five young trade unionists from different regions sharing how they are building collective power.
Labour leaders also used the occasion to call on government and employers to invest in stable, well-paid jobs, skills and training, and to end casualisation that has become common in banks, factories and the creative industry.
The commemoration comes at a crucial moment for Nigeria’s Orange Economy. Creative workers, riders, POS operators and digital freelancers who power the informal economy are demanding inclusion in the Decent Work Agenda, that includes fair pay, health insurance, pension and protection from exploitation.
The NLC says decent work must mean productive work that delivers a fair income, security at the workplace, social protection for families, and equal opportunity for women and men.
For millions of young Nigerians entering the labour market today, the message of this year’s World Day for Decent Work is clear: decent jobs are not a privilege but a right, and they will only be won when young workers organise, have a voice, and shape the future of work.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
