Question

What do you do to solve the problem of hidden unemployment sector

Answer 1

. I’d like to highlight some of the many ways that countries, with ILO support, are aiming to tackle the youth employment challenge:

Assigning priority to policies for job creation. Providing jobs in the quantity and quality that we need will require action from governments. We recommend that government policies support employment and lift aggregate demand, including public employment programmes, wage and training subsidies, sectoral programmes, counter-cyclical fiscal policies and youth entrepreneurship interventions.Targeting specific disadvantages of young people through skills and labour-market policies. Several countries have adopted or expanded measures to improve the labour-market integration of young people through targeted interventions. These include labour-market training and work experience programmes, job search assistance and other employment services, many of which can be targeted to the most disadvantaged young people to prevent them from dropping out of work. In the European Union, for instance, the ILO is assisting countries to implement youth guarantee schemes. Promoting quality apprenticeships, informal or formal, is another solution for ensuring school-to-work transition, and a top priority for the ILO. In countries where apprenticeship systems are strong, youth unemployment rates are no higher than those for adults.Forging partnerships for scaling up investments in decent jobs for youth.Combining the strength of international organizations, governments, employers and workers to implement global policies can really make a difference. The aforementioned new Global Initiative for Decent Jobs for Youth will pool existing expertise and enhance knowledge on what works for youth employment. It will also serve as a platform for leveraging resources from existing facilities and new ones.

Clearly, responding to the challenges of global youth employment will require a tailored and multifaceted approach. However, in all cases, policy-makers must heed the voice of the younger generation. Often it is the young people concerned who understand the measures that will help them adapt in their particular situation. 

Young people are often the most robust advocates for those very ideas we all support: an end to child labour and forced labour, equality in the workplace, ecological sustainability and decent work. We can all benefit from that energy and sense of solidarity and social justice.

In the interests of inclusive economic growth and an equitable transition to a more sustainable world, a sharper international focus on the issue of youth unemployment must be adopted. With the right will, we can develop policies to develop the skills and jobs that young people need and deserve.