World’s youths fear jobless future
The world’s young increasingly fear a future without jobs, according
to a UN report released on Monday which highlighted how the 15-30 age
group risks becoming the biggest victims of austerity programmes.
The young doubt the education they receive will fully arm them for
professional life, said the World Youth Report which questioned about
1,000 people for its study.
“Young people questioned the quality of education they and their
peers receive, whether or not it is relevant to available jobs, how
their knowledge and skills will serve them in the long-term,” said the
survey. “During economic downturns, young people are often the ‘last in’
and the ‘first out’” out of jobs, the report added.
The 2008-2009 financial and economic crises forced the youth
unemployment rate up to 11.9 in 2007 to 13 percent in 2009. It eased
back to 12.6 percent in 2010 -- when the adult jobless rate was just 4.8
percent. The Middle East is worst hit with 25.5 percent unemployment
among young men and 39.4 percent for young women in 2010, followed by
North Africa with a 23.8 percent rate for men and 34.1 percent for
women.
The report said high unemployment was one of they key causes of the
Arab Spring uprisings.
AFP
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