This document discusses the challenge of youth unemployment globally and outlines the Youth Employment Network (YEN) as a solution. It notes that 88 million young people are currently unemployed and youth face unemployment rates 2-3 times higher than average. YEN addresses youth unemployment through 4 strategies: employability through education, equal opportunities for men and women, entrepreneurship programs, and policies to stimulate employment creation. The goal of YEN is to mobilize a global partnership and national action plans to tackle high global youth unemployment.

2. THIS PRESENTATION
• The challenge of youth employment
• Action for youth employment:
the Youth Employment Network

3. THE CHALLENGE OF
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

4. WHY IS YE SO IMPORTANT?
• Youth is a period of transition and
vulnerability
• Vulnerability appears to increase with
globalization and increased competition,
everywhere
• Long periods of unemployment have a
lasting impact on youth:
• Individual level: self-esteem, respect, sense of
achievement
• Societal: integration, cohesiveness, citizenship

5. THE PRESENT
• 88 million young people out of work
• 59 million kids (17-19) in hazardous work
• Youth are 41 percent of all unemployed
• Youth unemployment 2-3 times higher
than average unemployment

6. THE BEST-EDUCATED GENERATION
EVER!
Yet… still large differences globally:
• 130 million children not in school
• 133 million youth are illiterate
• Large gender differences
• Large differences between groups of
countries

7. EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
% Reach Grade 5 Enrolment in
secondary
school, M-F
Adult literacy
rate, M-F
Sub-Saharan
Africa
61 26-22 69-54
Middle East /
North Africa
91 67-62 75-54
South Asia 59 57-40 66-40
World average 77 66-61 85-74

8. EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES
IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
We can measure and compare the educational
“baggage” of young people:
• Reading literacy of 15 year-olds
• Math literacy of 15 year-olds
• Science literacy of 15 year-olds
• Math achievement of 8th graders
• Science achievement of 8th graders

9. AN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
LEAGUE OF 24 RICH COUNTRIES
The Top 5 Other countries
1 Republic of Korea 1.4 12 France 12.6
2 Japan 2.2 18 USA 16.2
3 Finland 4.4 19 Germany 17.0
4 Canada 5.0 21 Spain 18.6
5 Australia 6.2 22 Italy 20.2

10. THE FUTURE
• Over 1 billion young people in need of jobs
every 10 years = 100 million jobs a year
• 130 million kids not in school now -> what
will they be in 10 years?
• More unemployed young people in urban
areas with little hope for decent work
• Globalization –> increased competition
between young people in more countries?

11. THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
NETWORK (YEN)

12. A LITTLE HISTORY
• Millennium Report of the Secretary-
General, 2000: The Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
• Goal 8. Developing global partnerships
for development, including a network to
address decent and productive work for
young people
• A high-level panel of advisers to the
Secretary-General with support of three
organizations: World Bank, ILO and UN

13. YEN’S 4 E’S TO ADDRESS YOUTH
UNEMPLOYMENT
1. Employability – investing in education
2. Equal opportunities – for men and
women
3. Entrepreneurship – start and run
businesses
4. Employment creation – as part of
macroeconomic policy

14. THE FIRST E. EMPLOYABILITY
 Definition: a key outcome of education
and training to instill skills, knowledge
and competencies of workers
 Reality: high cost of investment, skills
mismatch
 Invest in life skills, life-long learning, ICT,
entrepreneurship, SSEs in and out of
school

15. THE SECOND E. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN
 Before school: equal access and entry
for boys and girls
 In school: “tracking” out of TVE, career
guidance, double burdens, cultural
barriers, gender stereotyping,
harassment
 After school: credit access, lower skills
 In the job: discrimination in pay, training,
promotion

16. THE THIRD E. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
 Cultural attitudes: negative perceptions
of entrepreneurship, corruption, social
entrepreneurship
 Education: a system that stimulates
entrepreneurial spirit, teachers’ training
 Skills training: career training, ICT
 Business support: skills and services to run
your own firm
 Regulation: taxes, laws and burocracy
 Finance: youth as risky investments

17. THE FOUTH E. EMPLOYMENT
CREATION
 Yes, it is the economy that creates jobs!
 Labour market policies
 Macro-economic policies
 Exchange rate policies
 Sectoral policies
 External economic shocks, disasters and wars
 Institutional support for youth
employment: governance, national
employment strategy, monitoring

18. WHAT’S NEXT:
• National action plans for youth
employment by March 2004
• Mobilizing financial resources for youth
employment
• Linking youth employment with
education
• Expanding on youth participation in
policy and action: “No decision making
without youth participating”

19. UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE
PROBLEM!
Youth are the solution.

20. Thank you!