The International Youth Day

The International Youth Day is celebrated every year on August the 12th.High unemployment rates among young people shadow however this moment.

Corina Cristea, 12.08.2013, 14:27

Statistical figures recently made public by the World Labor Organization show that over 70 million young people are jobless and the situation is largely due to their lack of experience. Estimates show that, for this reason, it is three times more difficult for a young person to get a job than for an adult.

Paradoxically, the country most affected by high unemployment rates among young people are those who boast developed economies. In the EU for instance, in such countries as Greece or Spain, over 50% of the young people are jobless. Because of this situation, the International Youth Day, celebrated every year on August the 12th is not exactly a moment of joy, just like in the past years, since the economic crisis emerged, translating into high unemployment rates, the uncertainty of keeping a job, for those who manage to find one.

Discontents about very small salaries come to complete the overall feeling of young people the world over this year, when it’s 14 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the initiative to mark the International Youth Day. Alarmed by the situation, the EU leaders have recently agreed to allotting 6 billion Euros in two years alone for the employment of young people.

However, the initiative is regarded with skepticism by John Springford, a well-known economic analyst, in an interview on Voice of America. According to him, we need long-term solutions and not money getting dumped on the problem. John Springford says that at a simple calculation, we see that some 1,000 are allotted for each young person. He believes that such problems should be solved primarily by pursuing macro-economic and structural policies, and not by taking conjectural measures.

The president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, however, calls for patience: He says the leaders are well aware of the fact that it takes time to implement such measures and their will not bear fruit immediately.

According to the figures released by the World Labor Organization, a special phenomenon is registered in Romania-15% of the young people are overeducated, as compared to the requirements or demands of the market. They have graduated from technical schools or faculties, are very well trained but they fail to find a job.

That is why, they are satisfied even if they find a job well below their level of qualification or leave the country, in search of a job abroad. “I ask you (…) to be revolutionaries, to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel!” is the message launched by Pope Fracisc, who called on the young people to build the world they want. Recently, at the World Catholic Youth Days in Brazil, the Pope called on the young people to leave the hermetical groups they belong to, to step into the limelight, to take to the streets to fight for their values and beliefs.