Efforts planned to fight youth unemployment
Young men especially hard-hit
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The recent increase in unemployment has hit young men especially hard. A working group examining the problem of youth unemployment is calling for more concerted efforts to get young men who are out of work to get help at Finland’s Employment and Economic Development Offices at an early stage.
The three-month maximum time included in the so-called social guarantee is to be reduced to two weeks. After that time is passed, a young person should be offered either a job, or subsidised employment.
The guarantee should also be expanded into an activity guarantee, with the support of employers, in a way that really would guarantee young people a job.
The proposals are part of a report submitted to Minister of Labour Tarja Cronberg (Green) on Thursday. The report puts special emphasis on getting young men back to work.
In March 19,000 men under the age of 25 were unemployed, which is 73 per cent more than the previous year.
The working group behind the proposals emphasises personal service aimed at yong people, including personal assistance from designated advisors.
However, the situation has been mainly getting worse at the Employment and Economic Development Offices, where staff cuts have been implemented. There is not enough staff to hold discussions with employers on trainee ships and the possibility for subsidised wages.
The situation is worst for those jobless young people only only a comprehensive school education. There were nearly 10,000 of them in March, and their proportion has grown with each successive year.
The working group proposes that after comprehensive school, a young person should be assigned an assistant with enough experience on issues such as not completing school.
The working group notes that in Denmark, 19-year-olds are not left alone outside work and education. Information-sharing among officials, and increased efforts at guidance mean that instead of drop-outs, Danes talk about “pop-ups”.
The working group would like to see labour market subsidies and coaching for work to be increased, particularly with young people and immigrants.
Especially during a recession, the better alternative is a longer traineeship than being left completely outside work, the working group said, even though a “real” paid job would be the ideal solution.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.5.2009 - TODAY |
 Efforts planned to fight youth unemployment |
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