News
BackNext week, the Ministers for Social Affairs and Employment will come together for their regular meeting. One point on the agenda - no surprises here - is a plan for tackling youth unemployment and creating jobs. Compared to overall unemployment figures in Europe, the number of young people out of a job is more than twice as high. An alarm signal that requires urgent action. That this sad statistic is often accompanied by a call for structural reforms, is unfortunately the usual game. It is a thinly veiled disguise for reducing the welfare state and workers’ rights.
Structural reforms are more important than Youth Guarantee
One of the best ways to prevent youth unemployment is without a doubt the introduction of a Youth Guarantee. Austria is frequently mentioned in this context and praised for its “Austrian” Youth Guarantee. This guarantee means that any young person who has been out of a job for four months is entitled to a job, a vocational training placement, further training measures or a combination of job and training. Never once in this context has Austria mentioned that “structural reforms” would be required to achieve this as this would not mean anything else but reducing the welfare state and workers’ rights. This is not the way the Ministers for Social Affairs and Employment see it, who also demand from their European social partners that they should prepare themselves for “serious” structural reforms. Such proposals are normally the prerogative of Ministers of Economy and Finance.
Ministers for Social Affairs and Employment only mention the Youth Guarantee in passing
Often solutions are so close that one simply does not see or does not want to see them. This is the impression one gets when reading the document that next week is to be approved of by the Employment Council. It says for example that one should listen more to young people and that their integration had to be improved. If one would start a survey, most of the unemployed young people would come out in favour of the successful Youth Guarantee. However, most of the competent ministers only regard this as one of many options. Pity!
EU Commission will present proposal on Youth Guarantee on 5th December
Before the year is out, on 5th December to be more precise, the European Commission will present a proposal on a Youth Guarantee for training or employment. But this will not become a legislative and thereby mandatory proposal. This is obviously a step too far for the Commission. However, what exactly the proposal will say is so far a well-kept secret. Clear is the fact that the Member States will have to deal with the issue once again; one can only hope that they realize that it is high time to make available the money needed and to turn fine words into action. After all, it had been made possible to rescue the banks, even overnight!
Further information:
Campaign for Youth Guarantee
One of the best ways to prevent youth unemployment is without a doubt the introduction of a Youth Guarantee. Austria is frequently mentioned in this context and praised for its “Austrian” Youth Guarantee. This guarantee means that any young person who has been out of a job for four months is entitled to a job, a vocational training placement, further training measures or a combination of job and training. Never once in this context has Austria mentioned that “structural reforms” would be required to achieve this as this would not mean anything else but reducing the welfare state and workers’ rights. This is not the way the Ministers for Social Affairs and Employment see it, who also demand from their European social partners that they should prepare themselves for “serious” structural reforms. Such proposals are normally the prerogative of Ministers of Economy and Finance.
Ministers for Social Affairs and Employment only mention the Youth Guarantee in passing
Often solutions are so close that one simply does not see or does not want to see them. This is the impression one gets when reading the document that next week is to be approved of by the Employment Council. It says for example that one should listen more to young people and that their integration had to be improved. If one would start a survey, most of the unemployed young people would come out in favour of the successful Youth Guarantee. However, most of the competent ministers only regard this as one of many options. Pity!
EU Commission will present proposal on Youth Guarantee on 5th December
Before the year is out, on 5th December to be more precise, the European Commission will present a proposal on a Youth Guarantee for training or employment. But this will not become a legislative and thereby mandatory proposal. This is obviously a step too far for the Commission. However, what exactly the proposal will say is so far a well-kept secret. Clear is the fact that the Member States will have to deal with the issue once again; one can only hope that they realize that it is high time to make available the money needed and to turn fine words into action. After all, it had been made possible to rescue the banks, even overnight!
Further information:
Campaign for Youth Guarantee