Youth unemployment in the EU, a challenge

Even though youth unemployment figures in the EU are improving in a context of economic recovery, outreach is still a challenge in many Member States. More efforts are needed to engage with those farthest away from the labour market.

Young people can only benefit from the Youth Guarantee if they get in touch with relevant providers. Currently less than 40% of young people not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) are registered with the scheme overall in the EU.

Various outreach activities form thus an important part of the Youth Guarantee to bring those who do not take the initiative to register by themselves.

On 14 March the European Commission invited Youth Guarantee coordinators as well as coordinators of outreach projects financed through the EU Programme of Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) to discuss how outreach is working on the ground.

In 2017, Portugal launched a national outreach strategy which it developed with the support of the ILO

Youth unemployment

On the basis of stakeholders’ experience, outreach needs to be framed in a systematic approach, starting from better data to understand the target group as well as gathering main stakeholders. In some countries, a specific outreach strategy is being developed.

In 2017, Portugal launched a national outreach strategy which it developed with the support of the ILO, in the context of a European Commission/ILO joint action on youth employment.

Outreach solutions can best be built on local partnerships which include also

• social partners
• Public Employment Services
• employers
• youth organisations

with clearly defined responsibilities. Sharing of data between different services is key but strict data protection rules can be a challenge in this regard.

This guide has been developed to support governments in the preparation of national outreach strategies and action plans targeting young people who are not actively engaged in the workforce, education or training

Youth unemployment and social exclusion

Youth unemployment and inactivity have long-lasting consequences both for young individuals and for society as a whole. There is strong evidence that increasing social exclusion, disengagement from the labour market and underutilization of human resources can lead to lower potential economic growth.

While research on policies to address youth unemployment has increased substantially over the past two decades, less is known about youth discouragement and inactivity, and the policies and programmatic interventions that can effectively address them.

This guide has been developed to support governments in the preparation of national outreach strategies and action plans targeting young people who are not actively engaged in the workforce, education or training.

Its content is drawn from existing literature and European Union country practices on outreach approaches. The methodology is based on the ILO’s guide for the development of national action plans on youth employment.