A recent survey commissioned by the European Parliament shows that fighting unemployment is high in people’s priorities, second only to fighting terrorism. Of the 28,000 people surveyed, 77% want more EU action in tackling unemployment. While the EU unemployment rate at 8.6% is at its lowest since 2009, youth unemployment is higher at 18.6%.
In many OECD countries the youth unemployment rate is more than double the overall unemployment rate. In Greece youth unemployment was 47.4% in April 2016 compared to an overall unemployment rate of 23.3% and in Spain it was 45.8% compared to an overall unemployment rate of 20%.
Below are some further articles on youth unemployment:
With nearly one in five Europeans not in employment, education, or training, long-term unemployment is a major concern for policymakers. Jochen Kluve writes “Reducing youth unemployment and generating more and better youth employment opportunities are key policy challenges worldwide. Active labor market programs for disadvantaged youth may be an effective tool in such cases, but the results have often been disappointing in OECD countries.”
Bart Cockx explains in his article that youths graduating in a recession may incur penalties that last ten years or more, especially for those that are highly-educated and in a rigid labor market and Lisa Dettling concludes that young adults experienced declines in employment and earnings in the Great Recession and may experience a persistent reduction in future earnings.
Find out more about youth unemployment
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