By Umamah Basit, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. According to recent statistics published by the OECD and the World Bank, youth unemployment rates are highest in the Middle East and North Africa (40.6%), followed by South Asia (31.1%), Europe and Central Asia (24.4%.), Latin America (23.2%), and East Asia & Pacific (18.4%).
Youth unemployment is a growing problem across regions, and this is particularly worrisome for soon-to-be graduates who face grim job prospects in almost every sector. Many in fact are choosing to remain in the education system till they find “decent” work. Temporary jobs are also contributing to growing youth discouragement, often leading to prolonged inactivity.
While we cannot put the entire blame on one single entity, it is clear that governments need to take more concrete measures to foster pro-employment growth and job creation. Although present government initiatives are well-intentioned, more needs to be done to tackle the underlying causes of the youth crisis.
A fundamental issue to address is the ‘skills gap’. Academic institutions today are placing more emphasis on academic study and less emphasis on necessary practical skills. Due to lack of training opportunities, young job seekers are unable to develop the key competencies required to succeed in today’s workplace. They may have ample knowledge in their field of interest but often lack “soft” skills such as communication and teamwork which are of great value in any work or social environment. Although internships offer invaluable opportunities to gain experience and give young people an idea of what to expect later, more needs to be done to ensure that skills learned at school and university match those required in the labor market.
Governments need to work closely with public and private sector institutions to increase access to employers as well as encourage them to offer more jobs and promote mobility in the market. Pre-employment training should also be mandatory in order to provide employees practical hands-on experience that will shape them for future careers. Regarding the situation in Europe, particularly the Southern Mediterranean countries, decisive action needs to be taken both at the national and EU level. Currently, the EU is working on implementing the ‘Youth Guarantee Scheme’ which will ensure that all young people, under the age of 25, receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of being unemployed or leaving formal education. The scheme is expected to run from 2014 and has already proven to be a great success in Finland and Sweden. Senior EU officials regard it as the most “effective policy response” to the worsening youth employment situation across Europe.
But certainly this is not all. When talking about youth unemployment, we often tend to overlook the prominent role of the youth itself. Although governments and higher education institutions have a crucial part to play, the burden partially falls on the youth too. We must not forget that today’s young generation represents a key driving force for innovation and growth. Present challenges cannot be tackled if young people choose to remain idle or give up on their job search altogether. One of the biggest problems is that young “overqualified” graduates often tend to expect too much from the working world. When these expectations are not met and they don’t get the job they want, they lose the motivation to look further. Young people need to realize that no matter how many degrees you have or how many work placements you do, there is no guaranteed pathway to success. Job-hunting is tough and more so for those finding their first job. Young people also need to adopt a “think outside the box” approach. For many, entrepreneurship may not be a preferred career option, but this is certainly something that should be encouraged among the youth. Governments should offer grants and loans for local start-ups, as well as provide funding to enterprise development centers where young aspiring individuals can receive guidance from private sector experts on how to set up small businesses.
Furthermore, given our fast-moving and cosmopolitan world, there is a need for greater focus on language learning. English may still be the international language, however being competent in at least one or two other foreign languages certainly opens the door to bigger job opportunities in the global market. In the US, only 9.4% of citizens are fluent in their native language and one other language, whereas in Europe, this figure stands at 52.7%. Although this a relatively high number, European schools need to pay more attention to linguistic skills in the education curriculum. Young job seekers who move to another country also need to make every effort to learn the language of the host society in order to broaden their career prospects.
To sum up, individual and government efforts go hand in hand. If we continue to ignore the 75 million unemployed young people globally, we are at risk of losing one of the smartest and best-educated young generations in history. Of course, youth unemployment is not something that can be solved overnight. Governments have a long way to go in terms of implementing structural reforms and developing coherent strategies to support and empower the youth. Nonetheless, in order to enable the youth to realize its full potential, young people themselves need to realize their capacity and adopt a more pro-active attitude. They need to understand that though the challenges are great, opportunities are there too.
Source: click here
OYED 
Discussion
No comments yet.