This document discusses a plan to address youth unemployment in Romania through empowerment. It analyzes the causes of youth unemployment in the region, such as lack of education, work experience, and entrepreneurial programs. The proposed solution has three pillars: education, financial incentives, and legal requirements. The education pillar aims to include compulsory entrepreneurship courses and internships. The financial incentives pillar provides tax reductions for new businesses and companies that hire/mentor youth. The legal pillar reduces barriers to starting a business. The plan expects to reach 23.7% of unemployed youth and engage 20% of the youth population through these initiatives over 30 days.

1. FIGHTING YOUTH UMEMPLOYMENT
IN ROMANIA THROUGH
EMPOWERMENT
SAXION TEAM
Ana-Maria Turdean
(Romania)
Kadoko Chanda (The
Netherlands)
Saxion University of
Applied Sciences

2. Experience and Discovery (1)
Is unemployment a problem real?
 Yes. According to the European Commission by
December 2012, the unemployment rate in Europe
stood at 11.7%, as compared to 10.7% in December
2011 (1). It is obvious that unemployment is increasing.
How serious is it?
 It is very serious as it affects economic performance of
many countries and creates brain drain in some regions.
Moreover, it reduces the standard of living in a country.
Who does it affect?
 According to the European Commission, unemployment
affects greatly on the youth and the rates are much
higher compared to other age generations (1).
1. European Commission:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_s
tatistics

3. Experience and Discovery (2)
What is the situation in What is the
your region? gender/age/education
 According to our survey background of our
75% of the participants participants?
were unemployed and  Most of our participants
looking for work. were females, consisting
 Most of the participants of 83.33% of the total
have migrated for studies participants.
into different regions from  The majority of
their original country of participants were in the
birth. This is also backed age range of 22-
by the response to the 25, followed by 26-29
question if they would respectively.
leave their country and  In terms of education
migrate to another country background, the survey
for work. The response showed a wide range of
was showed 83.33% studies, the most popular
would migrate for work. being business, followed
by sociology and
psychology.
 The majority of

4. Experience and Discovery (3)
What are the causes What conditions
of this problem? allowed youth
 However, research unemployment to
shows that youth occur?
believe poor  Economic crisis.
management (of  Competitive job
economic policies and markets
labor laws) and
 Lack of skills and
education system
work experience.
does not give a
 Lack of educational
chance for the youth
courses that
to succeed after
encourage
graduating.
entrepreneurship.

5. Experience and Discovery (4)
Who is responsible for What are the Causes of
this situation? Youth Unemployment?
• Lack of education
 Schools (education • Lack of working experience
system and curricula and skills
change needed) • Political instability
• Competitive job market
 Government
• Lack of entrepreneurial
 The youth programs to teach, support
 Economic instability and groom the youth to run
their own business
• Unfavorable labor laws
• Lack of educational courses
that give experience and
prepare youths for Job
marker or starting business

6. Solution (1)
The results of the research show that one of the
best solutions for solving unemployment issues
is youth empowerment.
Pillar 1: EDUCATION
 Compulsory entrepreneurial and running a
business courses in all the Romanian universities
 Introduction of compulsory internships for all the
students, which to help students gain work
experience
 Free online entrepreneurial and running a
business courses for all youth graduates willing to
open a business

7. Solution (2)
Pillar 2: FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
 Free costs for opening of business and income
tax reduction in the first year of activity for
unemployed youth
 Tax reduction for companies which provide
mentoring to youth willing to open a business
 Tax reduction for companies which hire graduates
Pillar 3: LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
 Reducing the number of days and formalities
necessary to open a business in Romania as
much as possible (nowadays, there are needed
10 days and 7 formalities to start a business
here) (2).
2. The World Bank, 2013, Doing Business. Measuring Business

8. Planned Results and
Outcomes
 Hours Spent on the Solution: 720 (30 days)
 Number of Youth Reached: all youth unemployed
in Romania, around 23.7% of the youth active
population (3)
 Number of Youth Engaged: 20% of the youth
active population.
3. Eurostat Statistics