According to the latest report of Employment and Social Development in Europe (ESDE) 2022 published by the European Commission, young people are the most negatively affected category by the loss of jobs during the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The EU Commission stated that the report also shows that job recovery was slower for young people than for other age groups, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“Possible explanations are linked to their high share of fixed-term contracts and difficulties in finding the first job after leaving school, university, or training,” the statement issued by the EU Commission reads.
The new report will also help identify and support employment and social policies to address the challenges these young people are facing to become economically independent, considering that they are facing a serious socio-economic problem because of the war in Ukraine.
In this regard, the Commissioner for Labor and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said that most young people are highly educated, digitally skilled, and have an active interest in ecological issues, adding that this can help them take advantage of recovery and digital and green transition opportunities.
“2022 is the European Year of Youth because the European Union is committed to listening to young people, to support and improve their chances in life. This also means supporting young Ukrainians who have fled the war, helping them get into the EU’s education system and labour market,” he noted.
Based on the most recent annual data, ESDE has found that young people (under 30) still face significant challenges in finding work or in finding work that matches their skills and experience.
Such data also reveals that after youth unemployment decreased in 2021, it remained one percentage point (pp) higher than before the pandemic crisis in 2019. Of those in work, almost one in two young people or 45.9 per cent had temporary contracts, compared to one in ten for all workers or 10.2 per cent.
Before the pandemic, young people faced difficulties meeting daily expenses, such as bills and rent, with 61 per cent worried about finding or maintaining suitable housing in the next ten years.
On the other hand, other challenges faced by young people depend on their educational level and their socio-economic background. It also means that those with secondary education are 19 percentage points less likely to end up in a situation where they do not work and are not in education than those with a lower level of education. At the same time, this risk is 28 pp lower among those with higher education.
Moreover, another factor that promotes inequality among young people is gender. The report states that when young women start their careers in the EU, they earn on average 7.2 per cent less than their male colleagues.
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