Brussels, 20/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Although the situation of youth employment within the EU is particularly gloomy, if not dramatic in states like Spain (where the rate of unemployment for 15-24 year-olds reached 46.2% in August 2011) and Greece (42.9%), statistics only reflect part of the reality of the situation in this category of the active population, warns the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its report, Global Employment Trends 2011, published on Wednesday 19 October.
The ILO report even speaks of a “traumatised generation” of young workers in Europe and in the developed countries, these being the most affected by the financial crises. Although youth unemployment for the 15-24 age group peaked in April 2010 with an average of close to 21.3% for the EU (Eurostat data), the employment market continues to be inaccessible for over 20% of young Europeans at the present time. This slight improvement is not in fact due to a more consequential supply of jobs but to concealment of unemployment figures, the report reveals. This phenomenon has currently grown to considerable proportions, as in the case of Ireland. According to the ILO, the unemployment rate of young Irish, established at 27.5% in 2010, does not take into account a large number of people who have returned to education quite simply while they await a more favourable economic situation for finding a job. Thus, by including concealed unemployment, up to 19.3% percentage points could be added to the official figures. Ireland is also the country that has had the largest increases in this field, with youth unemployment in August 2011 at 31.9%.
This “traumatised generation” can perhaps be seen in the propagation of a movement made up of resentful youth in Europe and the United States. The “anger and frustration” of the young, as European Commission President José Manuel Barroso put it when speaking after the tripartite social summit on Monday 17 October, also arises from a worrying long-term view of the future. Grounds for such a sentiment are demonstrated in the ILO report by the significant difference when it comes to long-term unemployment in the active population of between 15-24 years of age, and the others. It is the former which has the least chance of finding a job after one year, and this difference can be multiplied by three in some countries, such as Italy. Furthermore, those who do manage to find a job, often resort to part-time or temporary work. This category grew in leaps and bounds between 2007 and 2010 in the EU and particularly in Ireland (+17%), Luxembourg (10.5%), Iceland (+9.2%), and Spain (8.8%) Finally, two trends meet - the scarcity of job offers for the young and the precariousness of work which does not leave much hope of promising prospects. (JK/transl.jl)