What is Futuremakers?

Young people around the world continue to be economically excluded. More than 280 million young people are estimated to be unemployed yet not in training nor education.¹

Established in 2019, Futuremakers by Standard Chartered is our global response; our mission is to empower disadvantaged young people to help them learn, earn, and grow. From school-age to early-working years, we aim to set young people on a path to economic participation and future prosperity.

In the era of COVID-19 recovery, the stakes are even higher. According to a 2023 World Bank report, 40 million young people who would have had a job in the absence of the pandemic did not have one at 2021-end.² The report also estimated that today’s students could lose up to 10 per cent of their future earnings due to COVID-19-induced education shocks.³

Globally, women and girls lack the same economic opportunities and rights as men and boys.⁴ In many countries, the structural impediments to female participation in the labour market post-pandemic remain far higher than for men.⁵ To help make a change and promote gender equity, Futuremakers focuses more on supporting young women and girls.