Youth unemployment in Spain has reached a new high of 56.1%, a quarter of the 3.5 million under-25s jobless across the eurozone, according to the latest Eurostat figures.
The number of young Spaniards belonging to what has become known as the lost generation is up 2% since June to 883,000. Only Greece has a higher percentage of young people out of work, at 62.9%.
Among adult males, Spain has the highest unemployment at 25.3%, higher even than Greece. Despite the government’s claims that the worst has passed and that employment reforms will encourage firms to hire, the figures suggest it will be a long time before any upturn in the economy is reflected in a declining jobless rate. With the holiday season coming to a close, the numbers are likely to rise as workers on seasonal contracts go back on the dole.
With close to six million Spaniards out of work, unemployment is so entrenched that there was no political reaction to the latest figures, neither from government nor the opposition. Indeed, mentioning the economy at all has become virtually taboo across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, Spaniards and recent immigrants are deserting the country in search of work, with 500,000 leaving in 2012, 60,000 of them Spanish nationals, most of them to Latin America and Europe.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at
via Spain youth unemployment reaches record 56.1% | Business | The Guardian.
Related Posts
It is not easy to be young in the labour market today and skills mismatch is not helping them says ILO
The global youth unemployment rate, which had decreased from 12.7 per cent in 2009 to 12.3 per cent in 2011, increased again to 12.4 per cent in 2012, and has continued to grow to 12.6 per cent in 2013. This is 1.1 percentage points above the pre‐crisis level in 2007 (11.5 per cent). By 2018 …Continue reading »
International Youth Day: Migration Can Help Tackle Youth Unemployment
International Youth Day, celebrated today, was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of issues affecting young people around the world Continue reading »
Europe Summit / Youth unemployment / Is a guarantee of a job, training or apprenticeship enough ?
While the EU agreed in April to re-target 6 billion euro to offer a “guarantee” of a job, training or apprenticeship within four months of someone becoming unemployed or leaving formal education, many think the measure alone isn’t sufficient enough Continue reading »
Sweden / Action on Youth Unemployment called for
Youth unemployment rates in the eurozone and the EU are now 24 per cent. Young people have a higher propensity for civil unrest than older people. The big surprise actually is that the young have been so compliant. It is surprising that social disorder has not occurred on a much greater scale than it has … Continue reading »
Eurozone / The recession is over, but youth unemployment hits record 65 pc in Greece
The Euro Zone recession is over but those aged 15 to 24 in Greece remained the hardest-hit as the jobless rate for this age group registered 64.9 percent Continue reading »
Europe / Five Myths About Youth Unemployment Crisis
MYTH 1: Nearly one in four young people in the EU is looking for work and can’t find it. REALITY: As in the U.S., the unemployment rate counts the unemployed as a share of only those who are in the labor force. It thereby excludes 15- to 24-year-olds who are enrolled in school or in training …Continue reading »
What is the EU doing to tackle youth unemployment?
From the Memo The July 2012 country-specific recommendations sought to ensure that youth employment remains high on the policy agenda of all Member States where youth unemployment rates are particularly dramatic. The European Commission proposed in December 2012 a Youth Employment Package to help Member States specifically tackle youth unemployment and social exclusion by giving … Continue reading »




Wow. Thanks for sharing all of these useful links–I just got to Spain for study abroad, and we’ve already begun discussing the economic crisis in class. These will definitely add to the discussion.
Posted by michaelawanders | September 3, 2013, 4:01 pmThx for your comment. It is highly appreciated as it amounts to a lot of work for me. Pass the word if you can.
Michel Cournoyer
Posted by Michel Cournoyer | September 3, 2013, 10:08 pm