Theme: Europe's youths desperately seeking jobs
Alarm bells are ringing. Youth unemployment is exploding. The consequences of being left behind and falling outside society's norms can be enormous for the individual youth and for society as a whole. The OECD estimates youth unemployment will continue to rise through 2010 and 2011, and urges governments to take immediate action to make sure young people again have something to live from and something to do. Nordic Labour Journal has met young people in the Nordic countries who receive help from the state, young people in Italy who depend on the help of their family and we look at the costs of allowing young people to remain on the outside of the system for shorter or longer periods of time.
Denmark's massive bid for youth employment and education
Fighting youth unemployment is a top priority in Denmark. A range of new measures are in place to get more young people into education.
Employers offered wage subsidies to hire young people in Finland
Finland's youth unemployment exploded last winter and is now nearly level with that of Spain. The government woke up to the fact in late spring and has introduced wage subsidies targeted at young school leavers and those who cannot find a job.
Youth unemployment: Iceland fights on many fronts
Unemployment used to be a relatively unknown phenomenon in Iceland. But it skyrocketed with the 2008 financial collapse.
Iceland's 0utdated benefit system
The Icelandic Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, used her National Day speech to point out that most households were still struggling with the fallout of the 2008 economic collapse.
The hidden costs of youth unemployment
Youth unemployment creates scars which follow people for the rest of their lives. One of the hidden costs of being unemployed when you're young is that decades later you take home less money than those who weren't unemployed when they were young. There is also the higher risk of becoming unemployed again, and many unemployed youths become marginalised with no links to work or school.
Italy's young hope to work before they're old
The path from higher education to a steady job is particularly painful in Italy. Many quit their studies or end up in long-term unemployment at the end of their studies. Teacher Francesca Seguela is happy to have a few hours of summer work after spending months unemployed.
OECD: Urgent measures needed to fight youth unemployment
Youth unemployment is rising dramatically and the trend is set to continue in 2011 according to the OECD. At the G20 meeting of labour ministers Stefano Scarpetta encouraged governments to act immediately. The first thing to do, he said, is to make sure youths have something to live off while they're unemployed.
