Global Labor Market Conference 2026

About

With fewer financial burdens and dependents, young people are often the group best placed to take risks: starting companies, testing ideas, and exploring non-traditional career paths. Early setbacks can be recovered from and even provide valuable experience. But how do we turn this risk-taking potential into a genuine labor-market advantage?

This session will ask: How can we build a greater appetite for risk among youth rather than steering them into conventional jobs? Is it fair to encourage risk-taking if it means some young people may re-enter the labor market later, competing with peers who chose safer, more stable paths? And what kinds of support – financial, educational, cultural – are needed so bold choices don’t translate into long-term penalties?