Czech Business Today

Combating youth unemployment effectively is one of the biggest challenges of our time. While Eurostat data showed that the youth unemployment rate stood at twice the unemployment rate of the total population up to the end of 2008, the rate was 2.6 times as high by the end of 2012.

The EESC ́ practical contribution to approach young people to jobs.

The reasons for this are fewer jobs as a result of weak – or negative – growth, reduced domestic demand, cuts and an accompanying freeze in public sector hiring, compounded by the failure to undertake early enough structural reforms of education and the labour market, as well as lack of skills and skills not in demand on the employment market.

The youth unemployment rate (i.e. the number of 15-24-year-olds without work as a percentage of the number of economically active 15-24-year-olds) in the EU-28 was 23.3 % in 2013. Eurostat also calculates another indicator, the youth unemployment ratio (the number of unemployed 15-24-year-olds as a percentage of the total population of that age group) which for the EU stood at 9.8 % in 2013. This indicator shows that many young people in this age group are in education and therefore not even available for work. The Member States are affected by youth unemployment in various ways, with the youth unemployment ratio ranging from 4 % in Germany to 20.8 % in Spain, and the youth unemployment rate from 7.9 % in Germany to 58.3 % in Greece. 

The EESC supporting the common effort of all stakeholders to improve the situation came with two own initiatives. In June, an opinion Youth Employment Measures – Best Practices was adopted, completing best practices in the different member states on how to facilitate transition of young people to the labour market. In January 2014 an initiative was launched in the frame of the Fresh Wind strategy declared by new EESC president. In guarantee of the Labour Market Observatory small members ́ delegations have been going local to monitor how the action plans for youth guarantee are implemented in six selected member states – Greece, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Finland. The EESC members contacted and interviewed representatives of the state administration, social partners ́ organisations, educational institutions and youth NGOs to collect both positive and negative experiences. The main findings of the final report are: No tailor-made approach is needed, closer link between education and the labour market supports employability and adaptability, youth guarantee cannot replace structural reforms, more pro-active role of the public employment services is needed and entrepreneurial education needs to be promoted.

Vladimíra Drbalová
EESC Member – Employers Group
Vice President of SOC Bureau