The International Labour Organization reports, “the number of unemployed youth is expected to increase by between 11 and 17 million from 2008 to 2009. The youth unemployment rate is projected to increase from around 12 per cent in 2008 to a range of 14 to 15 per cent in 2009.” According to
The Economist, “the total number of unemployed youngsters aged 16-24 has now reached 928,000, up by 108,000 since the previous quarter ending in February.”
This means that these same youth are not getting a chance to build needed skills to guide their future careers, to begin to earn the income necessary to begin to build their own homes and families and in many cases to earn the money necessary to survive. Moreover, considering
The Economist says, “Youngsters who have been jobless for a year or more tend to do worse in the labour market for the rest of their lives,” an investment in the development of the youth of the world is an investment in the future.
Karen Jackson of C-ChangeWork LLC is quoted in
Talent Management Magazine as saying “If you look at census data, it’s going to take at least two generations to fill the knowledge gap left by the baby boomers in the U.S., and it may be even worse in other countries in Europe and the Far East." It will be today's youth that helps fill that gap. As a result, they need opportunities today to build the skills they will need in the future.
Christine Evans-Klock, the director of skills and employability at the International Labour Organization said on BBC World Service, “the important thing is that young people become more creative about what their pathways into employment are going to be.”
Perhaps organizations also have to get more creative about how to bring younger employees on board.
Do you have any innovative youth initiatives to share?
References:
International Labour Organization. “ILO says job losses are increasing due to economic crisis.” Press release [www.ilo.org]. May 28, 2009.
“No way to start out in life.”
The Economist [www.economist.com]. July 16, 2009.
“Rising youth employment.”
BBC World Service [www.bbc.co.uk]. July 13, 2009.
Whitney, Kellye. “Why 30-Year Olds Rule the World.”
Talent Management Magazine [www.talentmgt.com].
