The global economy is undergoing a rapid digital transformation, creating an urgent need to realign workforce capabilities. This study investigates the strategic imperative of leveraging the global "youth dividend" by equipping 400 million young people with digital-first job skills. Utilizing a mixed methods research design, data were collected from 1,200 youth participants and 150 technology sector employers across five emerging economies. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between structured digital literacy interventions and youth employment outcomes (\(p < 0.05\)). Qualitative insights highlighted critical gaps in institutional curricula, specifically regarding advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, and cloud computing. The findings demonstrate that targeted digital skill-building initiatives significantly mitigate underemployment and accelerate macroeconomic productivity. Consequently, a unified framework integrating public policy, private sector investment, and agile educational curricula is recommended to maximize the socio-economic returns of the demographic dividend.