COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE Colombo, Sri Lanka
58th Workshop H - 12 September 2012
TACKLING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
Moderator: Dr Nafisa Shah, MNA, Pakistan
Discussion Leaders: Mr David Amess, MP, United Kingdom Hon. Wade Mark, MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Trinidad and Tobago Mr Gregory de Paepa, Policy Analyst, Europe, Middle East and Africa Unit, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Mr Donglin Li, Country Director, International Labour Organization
Youth unemployment in many countries is a growing problem that warrants intense and expeditious action guided by a systematic and nation-wide government action plan starting with the education system. Educational and training programmes should be designed to make people employable in both the public and private sectors. Higher female unemployment
also needs to be addressed as young women should have opportunities for employment which are equal to opportunities for young men. In order to be productive, young
people should have access to technological and technical tertiary education. Additionally, labour market information on employment opportunities should be easily accessible by every young person. Employment in the agricultural
sector was also stressed. The contribution to national productivity from this sector is very high and more people could find employment there.
276 | The Parliamentarian | 2012: Issue Four
It is important to focus on the
impact of under-employment as well as unemployment. Most young people in some countries were said to aspire to jobs in the government sector and when it is unable to accommodate them, they become frustrated. Young people seeking employment after education could be engaged in voluntary services until they find jobs.
More than a growing global statistic According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 75 million youths are expected to be unemployed in 2012 and the global youth unemployment rate, which currently stands at 12.5 per cent, is expected to show no improvements up to 2016. It has shown the increase of four million people since 2007. The issue of decent work for young people has also been placed centrally in discussions at national, regional and international levels. Initiatives
are needed to create and maintain decent work for youth, safeguard social, economic and political stability, accelerate a job-rich recovery from the global economic and financial crisis and prevent a recurrence of such a crisis. Currently comprising almost half
of the world’s population, the present and potential value of youth towards economic and social development cannot be understated. Noted for their hope, ambition, commitment, creativity and capacity for innovation, young persons are not simply “the future” or “tomorrow’s leaders”, they are an integral part of the present world and are not only beneficiaries but also partners in development. Generally, a youth could be as old
as 35 years (the maximum) and as young as 12 years (the minimum). The initiative taken to address
youth unemployment in Trinidad and Tobago could be sighted here as an example. There have been a number of initiatives at the global, hemispheric