As the youth unemployment rate remains alarmingly high across the European Union, campaigners from the European Youth Forum (YFJ) are working to ensure that their calls for help fall on listening ears.
On October 15, the group began petitioning MEPs to accelerate the implementation of the youth guarantee.
With the European Parliament elections in May 2014 quickly approaching, the issue of youth unemployment is at the centre of many debates. Although YFJ has only obtained official support from a handful of MEPs thus far, European Parliament president Martin Schulz has expressed encouragement for the group via social media.
The average unemployment rates in Europe resulting from the financial crisis are problematic but the levels of unemployed youths across member states paint an even graver picture. The latest figures published by Eurostat reveal that the average EU-wide rate of youth unemployment is 23 per cent.
However, the rates are more that twice those posted in countries that were hit hardest by the economic crisis.
Spain recorded a 55.6 per cent youth unemployment rate while Greece’s levels have reached 63 per cent. Moreover, those aged under 25 who are employed often find themselves doing jobs that do not provide stability, for 42 per cent of young workers are in temporary contracts.
Not only does the Union lose out on a substantial amount of money because of the lack of employment among youths but there is also the risk of losing an entire generation of workers if something is not done to address the situation.
Last February, EU leaders agreed to set aside €6 billion to fund the Youth Employment Initiative. However, the budget was increased to €8 billion in June, which will be available to member states in January 2014.
The money earmarked for this initiative will be used by member states to further implement the measures of the Youth Employment Package, passed in December 2012, which encouraged the 28 member states to adopt and promote the youth guarantee. This guarantee aims to relieve the pressure of youth unemployment by providing jobs or apprenticeships to those under 25 within four months of leaving full-time education or a previous job.
The funds for the Youth Employment Initiative will be allocated to member states whose youth unemployment rates exceed 25 per cent and to states that develop their own youth guarantee plans.
While the youth unemployment rates remain high, there are over two million job vacancies in the EU, highlighting the problem of mismatched skills in the Union’s labour market.
Thus, many argue that the root of the youth unemployment problem lies in the lack of practical skills in the young generation. Therefore, the educational system needs to work to adapt its curriculum to the needs of the labour market.
Likewise, by increasing the number of social scholarships or apprenticeships given to young people, a transitional system can be created to bridge the gap between school and the workplace.
The pressure to accelerate the Youth Employment Initiative and other innovative programmes is increasing, as it becomes ever clearer that traditional measures to combat unemployment are insufficient in this crisis.
Many argue that the root of the youth unemployment problem lies in the lack of practical skills
There is wide support in the European Parliament for programmes that will aid in solving the problem of youth unemployment. However, the discord between the left and the right arises when discussing just how to achieve this goal.
The centre-left advocates for governmental programmes that invest money in job creation. On the other hand, the centre-right believes that national governments should focus on stimulating economic growth, which would, in turn, create jobs for all working age citizens.
Yet, many believe the Youth Employment Initiative is ‘too little, too late’, arguing that if the EU can spend over €160 billion on saving failing financial institutions, then it should invest more than €8 billion on its next generation of workers.
With the European Parliament elections quickly approaching, many believe the issue of youth unemployment will be at the
forefront of the debates. Although past elections have had low voter turnout among citizens between the ages of 18 and 24, the European Commission circulated a survey revealing that 65 per cent of voters below 30 were planning to vote in the upcoming elections, almost doubling the turnout in 2009.
Although steps are being taken to address the issue of youth unemployment, many citizens blame the EU and its austerity measures for the high rates.
Therefore, the upcoming elections will help gauge public opinion on the effectiveness of these new programmes.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP.