More than half of young people fear future at work and have doubts about coping
Uncertainty, conflict, and fear emerge from the details of a fresh youth study. Although 85 per cent of Finnish youth surveyed agree with the statement “My life is happy at present”, 35 per cent feel depressed, and 45 per cent feel lonely.
According to the survey, 42,000 young people feel that they are unhappy as they stand on the threshold of adulthood.
There is an abiding fear of what lies ahead: getting a job seems uncertain, and there are suspicions about coping with work and holding down a job.
The Economic Information Office (TAT) plans to grapple with a big problem as it tries to improve the lives of young people and their access to work. TAT wants to revive the so-called Korpilampi spirit of three decades ago, and organise a Young People’s Korpilampi meeting along with the State Youth Affairs Centre.
Markus Keränen, head of research at 15/30 Research, which conducted the survey for TAT, says that young people might feel depression and loneliness, but they also see happiness as a greater and more extensive whole than before.
Expectations of work form a difficult pattern. More than 80 per cent saw their future as bright, but half of women are afraid of work, and are worried that they might get sacked from a future job. At the same time, nearly 90 per cent believe that a diligent and skilled person will always find a job. However, nearly 60 per cent are worried that they might not get work in the future.
Finnish young people are proud of their identity as Finns, and they feel that Finland has a bright future ahead of it: nearly 80 per cent feel that way. Even stronger is the belief that “Finland will get through the recession well”.
One in seven young people said that they had been personally affected by the slump.
Nearly 80 per cent are worried that values are becoming too cold or hard. Excessive haste and stress are also sources of anguish for most young people: 64 per cent of men and 75 per cent of women felt this way.
There is a wariness toward immigration, with 60 per cent agreeing partly or completely with the contention that “immigration of foreigners to Finland should be restricted”.
Commentators of the study, Secretary of State Carl Haglund at the Ministry of Education, and MP Outi Mäkelä (Nat. Coalition Party), the chairwoman of the State Consultative Committee on Youth Affairs, pondered if politicians might be able to promote happiness among young people somehow. The two predict that the next two years will be rough, with an increase in youth unemployment.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 19.3.2009 - TODAY |
 More than half of young people fear future at work and have doubts about coping |
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