India3
- 2. THIS PRESENTATION • The challenge of youth employment • Action for youth employment: the Youth Employment Network
- 3. THE CHALLENGE OF YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
- 4. WHY IS YE SO IMPORTANT? • Youth is a period of transition and vulnerability • Vulnerability appears to increase with globalization and increased competition, everywhere • Long periods of unemployment have a lasting impact on youth: • Individual level: self-esteem, respect, sense of achievement • Societal: integration, cohesiveness, citizenship
- 5. THE PRESENT • 88 million young people out of work • 59 million kids (17-19) in hazardous work • Youth are 41 percent of all unemployed • Youth unemployment 2-3 times higher than average unemployment
- 6. THE BEST-EDUCATED GENERATION EVER! Yet… still large differences globally: • 130 million children not in school • 133 million youth are illiterate • Large gender differences • Large differences between groups of countries
- 7. EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES % Reach Grade 5 Enrolment in secondary school, M-F Adult literacy rate, M-F Sub-Saharan Africa 61 26-22 69-54 Middle East / North Africa 91 67-62 75-54 South Asia 59 57-40 66-40 World average 77 66-61 85-74
- 8. EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES We can measure and compare the educational “baggage” of young people: • Reading literacy of 15 year-olds • Math literacy of 15 year-olds • Science literacy of 15 year-olds • Math achievement of 8th graders • Science achievement of 8th graders
- 9. AN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT LEAGUE OF 24 RICH COUNTRIES The Top 5 Other countries 1 Republic of Korea 1.4 12 France 12.6 2 Japan 2.2 18 USA 16.2 3 Finland 4.4 19 Germany 17.0 4 Canada 5.0 21 Spain 18.6 5 Australia 6.2 22 Italy 20.2
- 10. THE FUTURE • Over 1 billion young people in need of jobs every 10 years = 100 million jobs a year • 130 million kids not in school now -> what will they be in 10 years? • More unemployed young people in urban areas with little hope for decent work • Globalization –> increased competition between young people in more countries?
- 11. THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT NETWORK (YEN)
- 12. A LITTLE HISTORY • Millennium Report of the Secretary- General, 2000: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) • Goal 8. Developing global partnerships for development, including a network to address decent and productive work for young people • A high-level panel of advisers to the Secretary-General with support of three organizations: World Bank, ILO and UN
- 13. YEN’S 4 E’S TO ADDRESS YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT 1. Employability – investing in education 2. Equal opportunities – for men and women 3. Entrepreneurship – start and run businesses 4. Employment creation – as part of macroeconomic policy
- 14. THE FIRST E. EMPLOYABILITY Definition: a key outcome of education and training to instill skills, knowledge and competencies of workers Reality: high cost of investment, skills mismatch Invest in life skills, life-long learning, ICT, entrepreneurship, SSEs in and out of school
- 15. THE SECOND E. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN Before school: equal access and entry for boys and girls In school: “tracking” out of TVE, career guidance, double burdens, cultural barriers, gender stereotyping, harassment After school: credit access, lower skills In the job: discrimination in pay, training, promotion
- 16. THE THIRD E. ENTREPRENEURSHIP Cultural attitudes: negative perceptions of entrepreneurship, corruption, social entrepreneurship Education: a system that stimulates entrepreneurial spirit, teachers’ training Skills training: career training, ICT Business support: skills and services to run your own firm Regulation: taxes, laws and burocracy Finance: youth as risky investments
- 17. THE FOUTH E. EMPLOYMENT CREATION Yes, it is the economy that creates jobs! Labour market policies Macro-economic policies Exchange rate policies Sectoral policies External economic shocks, disasters and wars Institutional support for youth employment: governance, national employment strategy, monitoring
- 18. WHAT’S NEXT: • National action plans for youth employment by March 2004 • Mobilizing financial resources for youth employment • Linking youth employment with education • Expanding on youth participation in policy and action: “No decision making without youth participating”
- 19. UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE PROBLEM! Youth are the solution.
- 20. Thank you!