from AFP

'Lost generation' feared with record youth unemployment: ILO

(AFP) – 22 hours ago

GENEVA — Youth unemployment hit a record 81 million youngsters worldwide last year with the economic crisis, potentially breeding a "lost generation," the International Labour Organisation said on Thursday.

The youth unemployment rate grew twice as fast as for adults, by 1.1 percentage points in two years to affect 13 percent of 15 to 24 year-olds in the global labour force in 2009, an ILO report found.

"This is the highest number of global unemployed youth ever measured by the ILO," said Sarah Elder, author of "Global Employment Trends", adding that the growth was also unprecedented.

Nearly 73 million youngsters were out of work in 2007.

The report warned that, despite a marginal improvement forecast for 2011, the recovery in the jobs market for young men and women is likely to lag behind opportunities for adults.

"Young people are the drivers of economic development," said ILO Director General Juan Somavia.

"Foregoing this potential is an economic waste and can undermine social stability," he added in a statement.

The authors underlined that decent education and skills were less likely to open up job opportunities for youth than before, while pay and working conditions for those who found work had suffered, leaving "permanent scars."

"They're doing all the right things and the doors close in their face," Elder told journalists.

The report found evidence that some young people were so discouraged that they were dropping out of the labour market in developed and some emerging nations.

"Fears have been expressed regarding a possible crisis legacy of a 'lost generation' made up of young people who detach themselves from the labour market altogether," it said.

Developing nations account for 90 percent of the world's population of young people, who are more vulnerable to underemployment and poverty in the informal economy, according to the UN labour agency.

About 152 million young people -- 28 percent of the world's youth working population -- work but never earn enough to break out of the poverty trap.

Nonetheless, the report estimated that 45 percent of the increase in youth unemployment during the two-year period under review hit developed economies, which only host 10 percent of the global youth labour force

Central, eastern and southern Europe suffered the most, notably Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain.

In the United States, youth unemployment rose by eight percentage points to 18 percent over the period.

The UN labour agency urged governments to keep up support for youth employment despite post crisis cuts in public spending, while Elder warned of "dire consequences" for youngsters if stimulus spending was stopped too early.

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:rolleyes:

At the rate the Norwegian school system's at I could probably run for prime-minister.

What's wrong with Norway's school system? I love to hear about how Norway and Denmark are managed, so this is interesting to me.

 

The UN labour agency urged governments to keep up support for youth employment despite post crisis cuts in public spending, while Elder warned of "dire consequences" for youngsters if stimulus spending was stopped too early.

 

This is simply a threat.

 

"If you don't print us more money, we'll never hire your kids."

 

So far the "stimulus" spending has done nothing for the economy. Banks are still going to collapse (eventually). People are still going to default on their mortgages. The Euro and the US dollar will collapse.

 

The question is: Do you want this to happen now, so we can move on? Or do you want to linger for years in a stagnant economy where jobs are scarce and everyone is afraid to spend money? Eventually the "reset" button will be pushed, whether the elected politicians want it to happen or not. The entire financial system is a complex tangle of rules and regulations and debts within derivatives within leveraged funds. Nature isn't fond of complexity.

What's wrong with Norway's school system? I love to hear about how Norway and Denmark are managed, so this is interesting to me.

 

The Norwegian school system is notriously poor compared to other Nordic countries (not that that accounts for much). I don't follow politics a lot so I don't want to say too much, but my school finished 1st in the region in English exams because 4 of us are very good.

Aaand, a few of our politicans dropped out of school.

 

On the plus side we've been deemed the best country in the world :awesome:

Well how a country is managed (what the tax rate is, where the tax money goes, if it's effective...) is an area of study that's very interesting to me.

 

Obviously the US would rank near the bottom in terms of "bang for your buck" tax-effectiveness. This is why Americans are so skeptical of government solutions (like healthcare, etc). We are a country of 310 million, and most of our tax money goes to wars and prisons. The leftovers are wasted on crappy schools and terrible infrastructure.

 

Honestly I think the US needs to be broken up into several smaller countries in order to make sense. Lincoln was wrong to force a union.

New England for own country! (excluding New Jersey)

What's wrong with Norway's school system? I love to hear about how Norway and Denmark are managed, so this is interesting to me.

 

 

 

This is simply a threat.

 

"If you don't print us more money, we'll never hire your kids."

 

So far the "stimulus" spending has done nothing for the economy. Banks are still going to collapse (eventually). People are still going to default on their mortgages. The Euro and the US dollar will collapse.

 

The question is: Do you want this to happen now, so we can move on? Or do you want to linger for years in a stagnant economy where jobs are scarce and everyone is afraid to spend money? Eventually the "reset" button will be pushed, whether the elected politicians want it to happen or not. The entire financial system is a complex tangle of rules and regulations and debts within derivatives within leveraged funds. Nature isn't fond of complexity.

and if it happens now?

if not happen now, you think someone has planned and control is to choose when to happen? if yes, why and who?

The Norwegian school system is notriously poor compared to other Nordic countries (not that that accounts for much). I don't follow politics a lot so I don't want to say too much, but my school finished 1st in the region in English exams because 4 of us are very good.

Aaand, a few of our politicans dropped out of school.

 

On the plus side we've been deemed the best country in the world :awesome:

but are they good politicians or are total crap?

 

Well how a country is managed (what the tax rate is, where the tax money goes, if it's effective...) is an area of study that's very interesting to me.

 

Obviously the US would rank near the bottom in terms of "bang for your buck" tax-effectiveness. This is why Americans are so skeptical of government solutions (like healthcare, etc). We are a country of 310 million, and most of our tax money goes to wars and prisons. The leftovers are wasted on crappy schools and terrible infrastructure.

 

Honestly I think the US needs to be broken up into several smaller countries in order to make sense. Lincoln was wrong to force a union.

the 5 big countries theory?

but are they good politicians or are total crap?

 

I forget who it was, but there aren't really any awful politicians here (excepting the facists but they're not getting elected any time soon). When Sweden's foreign minister got stabbed and killed the entire country grieved for weeks, and the prime-minister cried at her funeral.

New England for own country! (excluding New Jersey)

 

:laugh3:

New England for own country! (excluding New Jersey)

 

Whaaaat??? :uhoh:

 

I don't like the idea of splitting the US up at all, and even if it was a popular idea (within our own country, it doesn't really matter if people from other countries support it since we're the ones living in the US), I think it would be very difficult to do. I personally think people might get violent if they were forced to break off.

Whaaaat??? :uhoh:

 

I don't like the idea of splitting the US up at all, and even if it was a popular idea (within our own country, it doesn't really matter if people from other countries support it since we're the ones living in the US), I think it would be very difficult to do. I personally think people might get violent if they were forced to break off.

tell that to some countries that got independent recently with not a whole refendum, just of their area.

Whaaaat??? :uhoh:

 

I don't like the idea of splitting the US up at all, and even if it was a popular idea (within our own country, it doesn't really matter if people from other countries support it since we're the ones living in the US), I think it would be very difficult to do. I personally think people might get violent if they were forced to break off.

 

Well you are looking at this from a cultural perspective rather than a practical/economic perspective.

 

So just because in history class you learned that the USA is a certain territory, with borders, doesn't make it magically the ideal territory. Borders don't actually exist - they're just imaginary lines. What really exists is our relationships with other people - who we talk to, trade with, work for, etc.

 

So breaking up the US doesn't have to be a scary or evil thing. It's just a recognition that people in California probably don't want to live by the same rules that people in Texas live by. And maybe the people in New York want to make their own rules, too. Secession is a beautiful thing! Don't automatically associate it with slavery or the Civil War.

 

I think we need more countries in this world. We need more diversity. We need to celebrate our differences. Where did we get this idea that everybody has to have the same rules? That's ridiculous!

Well you are looking at this from a cultural perspective rather than a practical/economic perspective.

 

So just because in history class you learned that the USA is a certain territory, with borders, doesn't make it magically the ideal territory. Borders don't actually exist - they're just imaginary lines. What really exists is our relationships with other people - who we talk to, trade with, work for, etc.

 

So breaking up the US doesn't have to be a scary or evil thing. It's just a recognition that people in California probably don't want to live by the same rules that people in Texas live by. And maybe the people in New York want to make their own rules, too. Secession is a beautiful thing! Don't automatically associate it with slavery or the Civil War.

 

I think we need more countries in this world. We need more diversity. We need to celebrate our differences. Where did we get this idea that everybody has to have the same rules? That's ridiculous!

i simply think some countries should be more recognized and visible, so no need to break the big countries (influential) into small bits.

 

same rules?, rules come just from common standards, society has changed an some standards are more spread than before thanks to some media and so most societies seem the same now, and so we find it boring cause we lose what made us diverse and diferent.

 

and don't economy should have the same rules?

if i see (my standards) are different about trading products with you, it'll be a problem at some point.

standards simply made our life easier, may be way too easy and we are seeing the results of it now.

Darlene, I disagree that there SHOULD be influential countries. I think this is a common mistake people make - they just assume there should be massive states like the USA or the USSR or China. Why do we need this? To avoid a war?

 

Small countries now have nuclear weapons, so nobody would dare try to invade them. We are past that fear.

Well you are looking at this from a cultural perspective rather than a practical/economic perspective

 

Yup, this.

 

The economic crisis has nothing to do with these figures, as young people, any young person, with a degree or otherwise, has had problems finding a job since 2005. People underestimate the Baby Booms which in regards to the UK isn't just about the amount of babies produced in England/Wales/Scotland/N.Ireland, there's a lot of people who are immigrants who have been here for decades, and there's no way for a young person to break into employment when jobs are occupied by people with experience. There's no reason to employ newbs when you have people with experience.

Darlene, I disagree that there SHOULD be influential countries. I think this is a common mistake people make - they just assume there should be massive states like the USA or the USSR or China. Why do we need this? To avoid a war?

 

Small countries now have nuclear weapons, so nobody would dare try to invade them. We are past that fear.

 

i didn't meant to say that there should be influential countries, just that i don't think that make tiny parts of them is a solution, simply other countries should show up and will do.

 

but i guess is a process it always happened:

big countries turn into small ones, then into some tinier and then start to expand again.

(Roman empire for instance)

 

Yup, this.

 

The economic crisis has nothing to do with these figures, as young people, any young person, with a degree or otherwise, has had problems finding a job since 2005. People underestimate the Baby Booms which in regards to the UK isn't just about the amount of babies produced in England/Wales/Scotland/N.Ireland, there's a lot of people who are immigrants who have been here for decades, and there's no way for a young person to break into employment when jobs are occupied by people with experience. There's no reason to employ newbs when you have people with experience.

and so solution is what?

we have to assume that due to circunstances we won't get a job when we should and go with it?

 

you mean 60's & 70's baby boom right? cause here my decade lowered the new born rate.

i kinda agree with you, i think part of the economic & social problems we are having the last years is due to baby boom, as the reason of high cost of houses even second hand ones -at least in spain-.