Youth unemployment is a Europe-wide problem and has recently become an absolute policy priority all over Europe. In many countries, the youth unemployment rate is currently twice as high as overall unemployment. Often the first to be affected by changes in the labour market, young people are more likely to be unemployed in times of crisis. Insecurity in the labour market and precarious labour relations are thus a destabilizing factor for both the individual and society.
Therefore, one of the main topics of the educational programme "European social diaogue" of the European Centre for Workers' Questions (EZA) was "Europe 2020 Strategy – The situation of young people on the European labour market". In this framework, 20 European seminars were realized between April 2014 and February 2015.
This text starts with a discussion of the current (post-crisis) labour market situation of young people in Europe in relation to the existing education and training systems. The second part of this report summarizes feedback from these seminars and describes the problem and challenges. A concluding section develops recommendations for workers’ organisations.
The brochure is published in German, English and Spanish and can be ordered from EZA. Authors are Susanne Kirchner, Barbara Angleitner and Michaela Gstrein from the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), Wien, which accompanied the scientific seminars.
