Youth Unemployment

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Youth Unemployment What can be Done about it
Youth Employment Policy

• Niall OHiggins
• University of Salerno

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Part I Youth Unemployment

• What Is Youth Unemployment?
• Who are The Youth
• 15-24 standard UN definition
• 19-24 excludes children
• 15-29 enlarged definition

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Youth Unemployment

• What is Unemployment?
• ILO (internationally accepted) Definition
• Without work
• Willing able to work
• Actively seeking work
• N.B. Not Registered Unemployment

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Youth Unemployment

• Other Problems facing young people in the labour
  market
• Underemployment
• Informal sector employment
• Temporary work
• Is Unemployment really such a big problem??

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Youth Unemployment

• Who is Unemployed? Unemployment is not spread
  evenly amongst young people
• Young Women Vs. Young Men
• Ethnic Minorities
• Disabled
• Unskilled/Uneducated

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Youth Unemployment

• What are the causes?
• Aggregate Demand (insufficient Economic Growth)
• Low Level of Education/Inappropriate Skills
• Population/labour force participation
• Too High Wages/excessively regulated labour
  market?

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Figure 1 Index of Real GDP in Europe Central
Asia, 1989-2003 (1989100)
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Figure 2 Index of Total Employment in Europe
Central Asia, 1989-2003 (1989100)
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Figure 3 Percentage change in the HDI, 1990-2001.
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Figure 4 Youth Unemployment Rates in Europe,
2001
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Figure 6 The Ratio of youth unemployment rates
to adult unemployment rates in Europe, 2001
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Figure 7 Male Female Youth Unemployment Rates,
2001
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Figure 8 Incidence of Long-term unemployment
(over six months), Young people Adults, 2000.
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Figure 9 Labour Force Participation Rates of
Young People (15-24) in Central Eastern Europe,
1980-2001
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Figure 10 Percentage point change in labour
force participation rates and gross enrollment
rates of young people (15-24), 1990-2001.
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Figure 11 Informal sector as a Percentage of
GNP, 1999/2000
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Concluding remarks

• Various factors contributing to youth
  unemployment main issues aggregate demand,
  education/skills, labour market regulation?
• Problems for youth in the labour market are not
  just to do with unemployment