The study examines the continuing job crisis affecting young people in many parts of the world. It provides updated statistics on global and regional youth unemployment rates and presents ILO policy recommendations to curb the current trends.
Executive summary of the "Global Employment Trends for Youth 2012"
Full report: English [pdf 1092KB]
That South Africa is a noisy republic is a trait of which we should be proud. We are truly given to hyperbole. As the march of the Democratic Alliance (DA) on COSATU headquarters unfolded, focus in discussion was about the numbers on either side; who threw the first stone; and the scores of people who were injured.
With the professional football season coming to an end, the entertainment value of "the blues" and "the reds" at each other's throats cannot be underestimated. From the point of view of the DA, this marks the beginning of an uprising against 'the real centre of power' in South Africa as, in its opinion, government has ceded decision-making to the giant federation.
It cannot be that the DA did not expect a mass and angry response to the march, from COSATU and its allies. This is not merely because of the antagonism between these two organisations which, in broad terms, stand at the extreme ends of South Africa's fault-lines of race and class. It is also because the issue at hand - about measures required urgently to deal with the challenge of youth unemployment including a youth wage subsidy - is as critical as it is urgent and emotive.
In the end and because of the chaos that it certainly should have expected, the DA got the publicity it wanted - and perhaps a few votes to milk. The alignment of forces in the debate about a youth wage subsidy is indeed a strange one. On the one hand, government has put forward the proposal and, after some eight years of internal debate, resources have been allocated for its implementation.
The DA, ironically a ruling party in one of the provinces which decided to march on the headquarters of a union federation, claims it has started implementing the scheme. The National Planning Commission (NPC) has similarly called for "a tax subsidy to employers to reduce the initial cost of hiring young labour market entrants".
The ANC Youth League rejects the proposal. The National Youth Development Agency, staffed mainly by youth leaguers, has expressed support for the wage subsidy, on condition that there is effective monitoring of the system. Debate around this issue has been raging for many months now at the National Economic, Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) involving government, business, workers and civil society. Indications are that we should not hold our breath, as a resolution will not come soon.
This is the actual tragedy. For, try as government may to devise long-term strategies and plans, these will take years to impact on employment generally and on youth marginalisation in particular. The global economic crisis is not helping either. What is needed is a raft of urgent interventions that will facilitate the school-to-work transition which is the bane of our society's economic and social wellbeing.
The statistics on youth marginalisation have been repeated many times: 70% of the unemployed are young people; in 2009, about half of 18-24 year-olds looking for work were unemployed; scores of thousands of university graduates are roaming the streets... To attack this problem and in addition to the 'young labour tax subsidy', the NPC also calls for driver training for school leavers; subsidy to the placement sector to prepare and place matric graduates; extension of the Expanded Public Works Programme and expansion of learnerships.
Coming back to the issue of the youth wage subsidy or whatever it may be called, where does COSATU's "callousness" against which the DA had to march originate? Why such "selfishness" on the part of employed workers? Naturally, a trade union movement has the responsibility to defend the interests of employed workers, its members. It should be expected to protest against measures it sees as having the potential to create a two-tier labour market which ultimately would lower labour standards across the board.
But why not accept this as a temporary intervention to absorb as many young people as possible into economic activity, expand the numbers of workers and potential union members, and from this beach-head push for improved standards?
The answer to these questions lies not only with COSATU and other opponents of the youth wage subsidy. It should also come from employers and all of society. This is because at the core of the wrangling on this issue is the fundamental question of trust, a crucial deficit in South Africa's macrosocial environment.
Youth wage subsidies all over the world have been shown to facilitate young people's entry into the labour market. But this is if they are implemented in a manner that deals with the many negative consequences that they can otherwise spawn.
Researchers on this issue have pointed to some of these challenges:
These are the issues that organised labour and organised business - led by government - have to urgently resolve. The hope, though, is that what one business commentator called "a silly" decision on the part of the DA to march on COSATU HQ, will not harden attitudes and scuttle the discussions under way.
And, sooner rather than later, government will have to weigh the pros and cons, and the capacity to obviate the potential negative effects of the subsidy, and take a decision.
Written by Joel Netshitenzhe, ANC NEC member and the Executive Director of the Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA)
Youth Employment: Youth Perspectives on the Pursuit of Decent Work in Changing Times
The World Youth Report 2011 explores the transition of young people from schools and training institutions into the labour market, a phase marking a critical period in the life cycle.The current employment scenario for young people, worsened by the global economic crisis, poses an urgent challenge with long-term implications for both young people and society as a whole. Young people themselves are crucial stakeholders in the pursuit of decent and productive work for all.
To view the full report, please visit: http://unworldyouthreport.org/
From UN Pulse
South Africa’s massive unemployment crisis is directly or indirectly at the root of all the country’s most serious social, economic and political challenges. The causes of the crisis – and what to do about it – are controversial subjects. In October 2010, CDE hosted a meeting of experts to identify what we know and don’t know about the causes and cures of the employment crisis. The outcomes of this meeting, and subsequent conversations with other local and international experts, are summarised in CDE Workshop no. 9, A fresh look at unemployment: A conversation among experts.
Jobs for young people exec summary.pdf
From Centre for Development and EnterpriseA UNICEF report has been released entitled Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood.
It examines the state of the HIV epidemic among young people, highlighting the challenges they face and presenting solutions informed by evidence of what works with different age groups and in different epidemic settings. The report outlines key steps towards building a continuum of HIV prevention that can help keep children HIV-free as they develop into young adults. More information on downloading a copy, or purchasing a print copy can be found on the UNICEF publications website.
From UN Pulse Permanent Link: Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood
The 2010 World Youth Report focus on youth and climate change, and is intended to highlight the important role young people play in addressing climate change, and to offer suggestions on how young people might be more effectively integrated as individuals and collective agents of change within the realm of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The Report is designated to assist youth and youth organizations in educating themselves and to become more actively involved in combating the threat of climate change. Download the report from the website (full report, pdf).
UN Pulse: Permanent Link: World Youth Report 2010
1968: myth or reality? Radio 4 season
This site was created by BBC Radio 4 to supplement its season of
programmes on the 40th anniversary of the 1968 political and social
uprisings. It includes a day to day timeline of key events, plus free
access to radio broadcasts of some of the programmes. These include
snippets of music, art and philosophy from 1968, plus discussion of its
impact by participants, historians and social commentators. Topics
covered include the Paris riots of 1968; Grosvenor Square riots,student
protests and the Prague Spring uprising in Czechoslovakia. Copyright
and technical information is displayed on the website.
Intute.ac.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/1968/
The World Youth Report 2007 has been issued. The report examines the challenges and opportunities existing for the young people around the world, provides a regional overview summarizing the major youth development trends in the priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth (A/RES/50/81), and explores major issues of concern including employment, education, health, poverty and violence (full text by chapter; overview; introduction).
Permanent Link: World Youth Report 2007 UN Pulse