Skip to main content

Rising number of young people excluded from jobs, education and training

Rising number of young people excluded from jobs, education and training

Çourtesy:UN News
World Bank/Li Wenyong
Employed youth, between the ages of 15 and 24, face a greater risk than older workers of losing their jobs because of automation.
    
9 March 2020
Economic Development
The number of young people around the world who are neither employed, studying or in some kind of training, is on the rise, according to a new report released on Monday by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
And young women are more than twice as likely as their male counterparts to be affected.
Increasing automation, a narrow focus of vocational training and a lack of jobs to match qualifications, are leaving young people with a precarious future in the labour market, says the report, officially called: Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs (GET Youth 2020).
Moreover, employees between the ages of 15 and 24, face a greater risk than older workers of losing their jobs because of further technological advances, and those with vocational training are even more vulnerable.
“This reflects how the occupation-specific skills imparted by vocational training tend to become obsolete faster… than general education skills”, the report says, calling for modernized vocational training programmes that meet the evolving demands of the digital economy.

Upward trend

The report shows that since 2017, there has been an upward trend in the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET).
In 2016 there were 259 million young people classified as NEET – a number that rose to an estimated 267 million in 2019, and is projected to continue climbing to around 273 million in 2021.
In terms of percentage, the trend was also slightly up from 21.7 per cent in 2015 to 22.4 per cent in 2020 – implying that the international target to reduce the NEET rate by 2020 will be missed.
“Not enough jobs are being created for these young people”, said Sukti Dasgupta, Chief of the Employment and Labour Market Policies branch of the ILO Employment Policy Department.
“We can’t afford to waste this talent or this investment in learning if we are to meet the challenges posed by technology, climate change, inequality and demographics".

Women excessively affected

Some 267 million of the current population of 1.3 billion young people globally, are classified as NEET, two-thirds, or 181 million, of whom are young women.
Too many young people around the world are becoming detached from education and the labour market -- ILO 
“Too many young people around the world are becoming detached from education and the labour market, which can damage their long-term prospects, as well as ultimately undermine the social and economic development of their countries”, said Sangheon Lee, Director of the Employment Policy Department of the ILO.
But the reasons for the trend, vary enormously: “The challenge will be to balance the flexible approach needed to reach these young people with the strong policies and actions necessary to make an impact”, he continued, stressing that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach will not work”.
GET Youth 2020 shows that those who do complete tertiary education, are less likely to find their jobs lost to automation.
However, they face other issues. The rapid increase in the number of young people with degrees in the labour force has outpaced the demand for graduate labour, pushing down graduate wages.
“Not enough jobs are being created for these young people, meaning the potential of millions is not being properly tapped”, said the ILO’s Ms. Dasgupta.
“We can’t afford to waste this talent or this investment in learning if we are to meet the challenges posed by technology, climate change, inequality and demographics”, she concluded. “We need integrated policy frameworks and responsive training systems, designed using dialogue between governments, workers and employers”.
Courtesy:UN News
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering victims of second World War by UN

8 May 2021 Peace and Security The Second World War had a profound impact on the international community, and established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations. This weekend marks the official remembrance of the tens of millions of civilians and soldiers who died during the conflict. In total, about 40 million civilians, and some 20 million soldiers, lost their lives in the war between 1939 and 1945. On 8 and 9 May, the UN invites its 193 member countries, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, to pay tribute to the victims of the conflict. The date of 8 May was chosen because it is the day the Nazi forces in Germany surrendered in 1945 but, recognizing that UN member states may have their own memorable days associated with the victory over fascism, the General Assembly invited all countries, UN organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals to celebrate either 8 May, 9 May, or both of these days annually as a tribute to all victims of the Sec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as coronavirus advances

Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as coronavirus advances UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi Woman waits with cash in hand to make purchase an old time New York City bakery, which counts the number of people it allows in to maintain a safe distance between customers.         1 April 2020 Economic Development The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, according to analysis released today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs ( DESA ). The DESA briefing finds that millions of workers are at risk of losing their jobs as nearly 100 countries close their national borders. That could translate to a global economic contraction of 0.9 per cent by the end of 2020, or even higher if governments fail to provide income support and help boost consumer spending. Str...
Post a Comment
Read more

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites UN Photo/Mark Garten A sign reads "Love takes courage and determination" at the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Centre was the second of two sites attacked by terrorists on 15 March 2019.         20 March 2020 Peace and Security The United Nations will soon launch a campaign highlighting the personal connections of individuals with religious sites as part of its efforts to protect places of worship around the world.   The campaign is part of the UN Plan of Action to safeguard religious sites, which was launched last September in the wake of a series of horrific attacks, including on mosques in New Zealand, a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, and churches in Sri Lanka.    Developed by the UN Alliance of Civilizations ( UNAOC ), the Plan of Action is complemented by another in...
Post a Comment
Read more