Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13119 | 30 January 2013
Youth unemployment as a threat to democracy and human rights in Europe
Europe’s young people are suffering disproportionately in the current crisis. European countries must do more to prevent them from becoming a lost generation. Youth unemployment rates in some member States are extremely high, especially in southern Europe, and reflect the difficulties faced by young people in finding jobs.
However, a more accurate indicator of the youth employment crisis is the NEET concept: the total number of young people not in employment, education or training. Last year, there were 7.5 million NEETs aged 15 to 24 in Europe.
Millions of job-seekers are in education or “in-work poverty” and others have simply given up looking for a job. These groups are not captured in youth unemployment statistics.
A long inactive period can leave young people scarred for years. Many young people who face long-term unemployment are socially marginalised. Some economists and sociologists are already speaking about “a lost generation”. This phenomenon is already affecting democracy and human rights in Europe.
The Parliamentary Assembly should consider and examine separately the reasons why the problem of unemployment among young people in each country has increased so significantly. This steep rise in unemployment, particularly among young people, requires the Assembly to begin examining the situation, making proposals and discussing a common strategy concerning youth unemployment.