There is no issue more important than Global Youth Unemployment

Last week, Secretary Kerry made his first speech as Secretary of State at the University of Virginia where he spoke about the importance of our foreign policy, especially for young people.  He said “In countries across North Africa and the Middle East, the majority of people are younger than 30 years old.  About half are under 20.  They seek the same things you do: opportunity.  And we have an interest in helping these young people develop the skills they need to defeat the mass unemployment overwhelming their societies so they can start contributing to their communities and rebuild their broken economies.”

There is perhaps no issue more important than youth unemployment. Both fledgling democracies and developed nations alike face massive challenges to create pathways to employment for their young citizens.

Global leaders from the public and private sector have expressed concern as well.  Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent worried that youth unemployment “has a chance of cracking the social fabric.” The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, recently wrote of the “opportunity deficit” many young people face in the current job market.  U.N.Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for strengthened policies and investments involving young people.

There is a clear leadership role for the United States on this issue.Secretary of State John Kerry asserted, “foreign policy is economic policy.” In other words, the U.S. cannot advance its interests abroad without focusing on how to advance global prosperity.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor 

via The Real Crisis: Global Youth Unemployment.

Related Posts

UE / Youth unemployment has been around long before the crisis

One of the more tragic outcomes of the euro crisis has been the gut-wrenchingly high youth unemployment rates.  More than half of the young people in Greece and Spain are looking for work. “Europe is facing an often-cited “lost generation” which experiences long periods of unemployment or unstable jobs during their first working years, with … Continue reading »

Europe’s lost generation / Youth unemployment exceeds 60 percent in Greece, i s above 50 percent in Spain and tops 40 percent in Portugal

Children across Europe are being driven into poverty by harsh government austerity and youth unemployment is soaring, threatening to create “lost generations” that could fire up a new continental crisis. Global charity Caritas said on Thursday that around three out of every 10 children in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain are in or have … Continue reading »

Solving youth unemployment – A winning essay

Max Kirby, who says there’s never been a better time to be young, has won £10,000 for penning his thoughts on ways to reduce unemployment. Here is his winning essay. One in five young adults in Britain is unemployed, more than twice the rate for the workforce as a whole. And (temporarily, I hope) I … Continue reading »

Youth employment: What works

Youth guarantees Programmes that guarantee young people will get a job, education or training have shown good results in a number of countries. In Finland, the success rate of the youth guarantee scheme is estimated at more than 80 per cent. A registered youth has to be offered a job, academic education, vocational training, or … Continue reading »

Youth Unemployment | More severe in countries in which vocational preparation takes place in full-time schools

“Young graduates and early school leavers entering the labour market are a population at risk. They are exposed to above-average turnover rates between different jobs and face an increased risk of unemployment. “ write Marc Piopiunik and Paul Ryan in Improving the transition between education/training and the labour market: What can we learn from various … Continue reading »

Youth Transitions / A function of how economic, education and employment policies interact

“Youth unemployment was rising since well before the current economic downturn, but the fallout from the financial crisis has brought it to the top of the government’s agenda and generated a plethora of publications and initiatives to tackle the problem.” write Tess Lanning and Katerina Rudiger in Youth unemployment in Europe: lessons for the UK (Adapted chosen excerpts by …Continue reading »

EU calls for youth guarantee schemes

EU member states should guarantee that young Europeans do not remain out of work or education for more than four months, according to a scheme unveiled Wednesday by the European Commission. However the cost of tackling youth unemployment would largely fall to the states, said EU Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor, adding that “the costs of … Continue reading »