Background

Today’s young people are the most educated generation ever. Nevertheless, they encounter difficulties in entering and remaining in the labour market. For too many of them, the transition to work is problematic. Opportunities for young people to find a job are bound to the general state of the economy and overall employment situation in a country. However, they are also influenced by the education and skills young people possess, the relevance of these skills for the labour market and the possibilities available to youth to apply and use these skills. Mismatches among these factors can lead to long periods of job seeking, intertwined with unemployment spells or periods of low skilled and precarious work. This imposes a heavy toll on young people themselves, but also on the economies and societies of their countries.   

As major provider of jobs, the private sector has a critical role to play in the search for more and better jobs for young people. In this regard, initiatives by individual companies or employers’ associations, at local and national levels, are blossoming in many countries. These initiatives are necessarily diverse, depending on the socio-economic, political and institutional context, the youth employment problems at stake as well as the needs and opportunities of the business community in a given country. In general, however, they bear witness of the growing priority companies and employers attach to youth employment issues.

This introductory page links you to more information about the tool.