The employment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 has recorded its longest continuous decline since the global financial crisis in 2009.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Sunday, the youth employment rate stood at 45-point-one percent in September, down zero-point-seven percentage point from a year earlier. 

It was the 17th consecutive month of year-on-year decline, marking the most persistent downward streak since the global financial crisis 16 years ago.

From September 2005 to November 2009, youth employment fell for 51 straight months due to a sluggish economy and a higher non-working population.

Analysts say the recent slump stems primarily from a shortage of quality jobs and from hiring trends that favor experienced workers, suggesting the problem is driven more by structural factors than by temporary external shocks.