Global youth unemployment has hit a record high and is forecast to continue to rise further, according to a report from the International Labour Organisation, which echoes warnings in the UK that young people continue to be the hardest hit by the recession.

Of around 620 million economically active 15 to 24-year-olds, 81 million were unemployed at the end of 2009, the highest number since records began in 1991. That put the global youth unemployment rate at 13%, up from 11.9% just before the global downturn in 2007.