Stakeholders’ understanding of youth unemployment : what causes it and how it should be addressed

Abstract

Youth unemployment is found across all European countries, as many young people find difficulties in entering into the labour market. With less experience and fewer skills than many older workers, young people have also been harder hit by the financial crisis which has seen youth unemployment rates soar. Research shows that people who struggle to find employment during their first years in the labour market may be at a disadvantage for the rest of their career (Rauum & Roed, 2006). Therefore, it is important that the issue has broad recognition as unemployed youth seek help from different sources. The aim of this study is to understand how stakeholders perceive youth unemployment and to analyse the commonalities and differences in stakeholders’ understanding about what causes youth unemployment and how it can be addressed. The data was obtained by means of qualitative strategy through semi-structured interviews and participants were identified using purposive sampling. A total of ten face-to face interviews were conducted with different categories of stakeholders mainly policy makers, social partners and helping professionals. The results of this study correspond with much of the previous literature on youth unemployment. Parents’ unemployment, lack of qualifications, the structure of the educational system, skills mismatch, welfare dependency, social problems and unemployment as ‘a choice’ were mentioned by the stakeholders as potential causes of youth unemployment. Furthermore, this study confirmed that unemployment has negative effects on young people, particularly upon their psychological health and the greater risk of social exclusion. Young people also experience hardship due to financial strain which may lead them to be dependent on others or upon social services and which may limit their resources for future plans. Moreover, it is concluded from the findings that the side effects of early unemployment can result in a repeated experience of unemployment among young people. A number of recommendations are presented to address youth unemployment. These include reforming the educational system to better prepare people for the world of work and improving cooperation between educational institutions, employers and the authorities to help youths who are unemployed to get assistance so that they can enter the labour market. It is also important to encourage young people to engage in work experiences and to seek extracurricular and voluntary activities in order to obtain the training and skills required by the workforce. Improving and implementing services that address the various needs of the young people who are unemployed are also important, as is delivering more active labour market policies and improving research capacity in this field. It is suggested that longitudinal research be carried out to observe the employment trajectory of young people who experience unemployment at a young age, to determine how best to intervene with this important group. Research should also be carried out to identify the gaps in services and policy transition in order to tailor services and policies according to needs of the youths.