YOUNG PEOPLE ARE 20% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION, BUT 100% OF OUR FUTURE
-YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE WORLD
In the world there are currently 7 billion people, of which 20% are young people between 16/24 years. Globally, the registered unemployment rate of young people between the ages
of 16 and 29 has been remained stable at 13% since 2012 to 2015. Unfortunately This figure does not affect all countries equally.
-YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN EUROPE
About 1/3 young people have been looking for work for more than a year.
-YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN SPAIN/EXTREMADURA
In Extremadura the situation of youth unemployment is not very different from the situation of the rest of Spain, so I will not create a distinction between them. Youth unemployment is one of the main problems of the labor market in Extremadura, this is also repeated in the rest of Spain.
In the wake of the 2008 crisis, Spain becomes the European country with the highest youth unemployment rate, just behind Greece.
Here I leave a video explaining the crisis of 2008 in Spain through the story of José.
Although the unemployment rate youth reached its peak in 2013 and there was a slight recovery, even in 2018, 4/10 young people between 16 and 29 who want to work, can not do it.
In Spain more than 1.24 million young people are unemployed.
The youth unemployment rate in Spain is 36.3%, values far removed from Germany, which with 6.6% has the lowest youth unemployment rate in Europe.
“All people have the right to their labor insertion and to be able to enjoy employment in the labor market. It is fundamental for its autonomy, emancipation and economic independence.”
Source: Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. (Spain)
What is a young person for work purposes?
A person is young for work purposes in Spain who is between 16 and 29 years old.
We can classify in working population and the inactive population.
-WORKING POPULATION: Any person over 16 who has availability to work. They may be busy, when they have a job; or unemployed, when they have no job and are actively seeking it.
-INACTIVE: Any person over 16 years of age who is not included in the working population (because he studies, etc.)
Job opportunities abroad
A large number of young people have left Spain in search of a job opportunity that in our country has been denied. Others left to improve their training and learn languages.
Emigration sometimes takes center stage in these young people, as it is the only halo of hope they have. The only hope they give to young people is that the future that awaits us will be better, yes, outside these lands. But ... what will Spain hold?
Young people with degrees prefer to find employment outside, where working conditions are better.
Evolution of the unemployment rate by sex in Spain
The gap between young men and women (16 to 29 years old) is bigger in the case of Spain. The most pronounced gap occurred in 2006, when mens unemployment rate (16.4%) was 5.3 percentage points higher than women (11.1%).
The explanation underlying this trend lies in the destruction of male employment during the time of crisis and not precisely an improvement in equal opportunities.
Causes of youth unemployment
a) TRAINING LEVEL OF YOUNG PEOLPE
In Spain, 44% of young people drop-out of high school. This causes 2 major problems:
1- The non-completion of the basic studies that are necessary for the personal, professional and social development of people.
2- The reduced commitment of young Spaniards for Vocational Training. This causes the lack of offer of profiles of lower qualification, which makes it the licensed university students who accept those jobs for those who are over qualified, which produces levels of work frustration.
Extremadura leads the national unemployment rate for young people who neither study nor work.
1/4 people between 16 and 29 years old in Extremadura neither studies nor works.
b) WORKING MARKET
In times of crisis, youth unemployment grows at a much higher rate than that of adults.
c) LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT
In Spain, more than 14% of young people are long-term unemployed.
The probability of finding employment decreases as unemployment time increases.
d) TEMPORALITY OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS
In Spain, 67% of young people who work part-time do so involuntarily.
The temporality of the employment relationship is not harmful in itself for a person who enters the labor market, because it offers the opportunity to enter it, accumulate experience and demonstrate their qualities. What can be negative is the use and abuse of this type of
contracting by companies.
Barriers that young people face
LACK OF EXPERIENCE
Lack of experience is one of the main barriers when it comes to finding employment.
In times of recession, companies do not risk hiring inexperienced workers. The Spanish education system does not put enough effort into achieving the true objective of a practice, since it is considered as a mere fulfillment of academic records.
TRANSITION FROM EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT
Half of Spanish youth take more than a year to find their first job. Those who have more difficulties are those who have less training.
GROUPS AT RISK OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION
This barrier has to do with the personal, family, social and cultural situations of young people who have a position of inequality.
Some features of people at risk of social exclusion are:
Limited personal and social skills.
Little training and professional qualification.
High disinformation of the labor market.
Negative self-perception
Loss of work habits
Personal, educational and family uprooting.
There are incentives and bonuses for companies, but still the data is encouraging. In 2016, young people with disabilities between 16 and 24 years old had 60% unemployment rates in Spain.
Road to employment
GIVE SOLUTIONS TO SCHOOL DROP-OUT
In which cases there is usually school drop-out?
-When you belong to socially excluded groups
-When you belong to vulnerable groups such as youth in social protection plans, teenage mothers ...
-Have to obligatorily help economically at home; or take care of a family member.
-Change frequently of residence
According to Eurostat, Spain tops the dropout rate in Europe after Turkey. 20% of young Spaniards between 18 and 24 years old have left the education system prematurely.
REASONS FOR ABANDONING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM ACCORDING TO THE COURSES
HIGH SCHOOL I found a job (30.2%) Family reasons (25.4%)
BACHILLERATO I realized that it would not help me and find a job (41.8%)
VOCATIONAL TRAINING I found a job (28.3%) I didn't like it (23.8%)
Society must return the young person to the educational system through more flexible training environments, closer to practice and professional performance, of short duration.
WHAT COMPANIES CAN DO
It is a fact that the company in the 21st century focuses most of the activity of society, forcing it to assume a responsibility that goes beyond obtaining great economic benefits.
The company must be involved in creating the circumstances that allow young people to find work and develop as professionals and as people.
Youth employment, besides being one of the main problems facing our society, is, at the same time, one of the biggest challenges for companies. Incorporating young people into your workforce implies a renewal of the company.
The company works to offer an opportunity to the younger generation, while allowing it to ensure the adequacy of the workforce to the demands of the future.
Business action in this regard can be tremendously intelligent if it is involved in resolving the barriers that affect young Spanish for their access to employment.
Another problem is the gap that has been created between the training currently offered and the real future needs of a company that is in continuous transformation. In order to achieve this objective, the involvement of the company in the training process from the beginning is needed.
Why should they have youth hiring?
The need for competent people
The gradual and trauma-free renewal of its workforce.
It ensures the increase of productivity and competitiveness in a globalized world and in continuous adaptation.
Collaborate in solving a serious problem of the Spanish society that concerns companies directly.
Conclusions
Youth unemployment in Spain, with a rate above 36,3%, represents a particularly dramatic problem in itself and compared to the rest of Europe, where only one country surpasses us: Greece.
The last economic crisis has revealed the number and vulnerability of unemployed youth in Spanish society. To deal with this problem successfully it is necessary to know the true causes that produce it.
First, in the training field, we must take into account the dropout rates, which far exceed the European average, and the lack of a commitment to Vocational Training.
Second, in the characteristics of youth unemployment, which reaches a very high percentage of long duration.
The needs of companies grow faster than the ability to adapt the existing programs of the education system, especially Vocational Training. For this reason, it is necessary to make the processes of adaptation of the contents, as far as possible, more flexible by the competent authorities to the real needs of the companies.
