Lima, August 13 (Xinhua-RHC) -- Some 35 million young Latin Americans are affected by the unemployment crisis in the region, the regional office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported Tuesday.

The Lima-based office said eight million young people are unemployed, while another 27 million work in the underground economy with no rights or benefits.

"The rate of unemployment among youth in urban areas is triple that of adults," said Elizabeth Tinoco, the ILO regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

She added that unemployment was just the tip of the iceberg, with six out of 10 young people who had managed to enter the job market were in the informal sector with low wages and no job stability, social benefits or rights.

Speaking on the United Nations International Day of Youth, Tinoco emphasised the negative effects that persistent unemployment and underground employment can have on those just entering the work force.

These young people not only suffer from feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty, but the situation also thwarts efforts to combat poverty and social inequality, she said.

The ILO has called for specific policies and measures to combat unemployment, which recent data shows runs at 13.9 percent among both urban and rural youth.