European Youth Day, 2012
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 is European Youth Day and Eurofound takes the opportunity to highlight its recent research on the situation of young people, specifically those who are part of the NEET group: ‘not in employment, education or training'.
The research shows that the protection effect of attaining higher education levels against job losses of the young has decreased in the current economic recession, in stark contrast to the past. This is clearly the case for some Mediterranean (Greece, Italy and Portugal) and eastern European (Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia) countries, as well as for Denmark and Finland.
It also highlights the fact that the consequences for our society as a whole of having 13 million young people or 'under 30s' not in employment, education or training are dramatic. While the economic loss of this lack of participation can be estimated at over EUR100 billion (for the 21 Member States covered in the research), the growing concern regarding democratic engagement and civic participation of young people in our societies also seem well justified.
Young people and NEETs in Europe: First findings - Résumé
The aim of this research was to investigate the current situation of young people in Europe, focusing specifically on those who are not in employment, education or training, and to understand the economic and social consequences of their disengagement from the labour market and education.
Other Eurofound publications and events on youth and work include:
Foundation Findings - Youth and work
The unemployment rate for young people aged between 16 and 24 years in the EU27 is twice as high as the overall rate of unemployment. The recession has exacerbated this problem significantly. The number of young people not in education, employment or training (so-called 'NEETs') has increased over the last few years.
EVENT - Youth employment: Joint seminar of EP EMPL Committee with Eurofound, EU –OSHA, Cedefop and ETF
Four European agencies, along with the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee which oversees them, recently held a joint seminar on the topic of youth employment, in order to present findings and formulate options for European policy makers.
Active inclusion of young people with disabilities or health problems
This report reviews the evidence to support the contention that increasing numbers of young people (16 - 34 years) are entering the disability benefits system. It attempts to place this evidence within the context of the many factors that are known to influence the economic activity and labour market participation of young people with disabilities.