Youth Unemployment and the emergence of the discouraged job seeker

Young people remain particularly stricken by the global financial crisis. Currently, some 73.8 million young people are unemployed globally and the slowdown in economic activity is likely to push another half million into unemployment by 2014.

The youth unemployment rate – which had already increased to 12.6% in 2012 – is expected to increase to 12.9% by 2017. The crisis has dramatically diminished the labour market prospects for young people, and many experience long-term unemployment right from the start of their labour market entry, a situation that was never observed during previous cyclical downturns.

Currently, some 35% of all young unemployed have been out of a job for six months or longer in advanced economies. As a consequence, an increasing number of young people have become discouraged and have left the labour market. Long spells of unemployment and discouragement early on in a person’s career also damages their long-term prospects, as professional and social skills erode and valuable on-the-job experience is not built up.

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Round up of what’s new on Yipe!

Business Startup

How to Go about Setting up Your Small Business
For someone starting out in business, success is the ultimate goal. Many people have the desire to work for themselves or run a small business but often it’s knowing where to start that means people fall at the first hurdle.

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Events

Kenya’s National Youth Summit set to kick off a new era in youth development
Kenya’s National Youth Summit 2013 set to kick off from January 31st to February 1st 2013 will bring together 2,000 young leaders from across the country’s 47 counties to inspire pride, patriotism and social cohesion among the young people.

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Awards:

Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship 2014
The Skoll Foundation provides Skoll Awards every year to select few social entrepreneurs whose proven innovations have demonstrated impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems. The Skoll Award recognizes organizations with the potential to not only be individually successful, but also to catalyze large-scale, system-level change.

Kenya’s National Youth Summit set to kick off a new era in youth development

Kenya’s National Youth Summit 2013 set to kick off from January 31st to February 1st 2013 will bring together 2,000 young leaders from across the country’s 47 counties to inspire pride, patriotism and social cohesion among the young people.

According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, the youth aged below 35 years account for more than 70%. This is a significant cohort of the national population that can influence social, economic and political transformation. The youth are therefore critical in achieving the ambitous goals set out in the nation’s development roadmap known as Vision 2030.

With 2013 being a year for general elections, the National Youth Summit is informed by the need to rebrand and inspire young people to act as peace ambassadors who choose to take responsibility and make a difference in their communities.

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Youth Unemployment Outlook – August 14th 2012.

South Sudan national youth service initiative announced

South Sudan Youth and Sports minister outlines plan to counter high youth unemployment rate

UK: May figures show decline in Manchester’s youth unemployment

The figures for May come after it was revealed that youth unemployment was as high as one in five in some of the worst affected parts of the county

Zimbabwe: Mugabe recognises youth unemployment as one of the biggest challenges facing the nation

Mugabe told about 5000 people at a memorial for fallen liberation leaders that if not addressed, youth unemployment and under employment would be a potential threat to national peace and security.

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Kenyan youth entrepreneur’s access to public procurement opportunities

Kenya’s government is registering and pre-qualifying youth owned enterprises so they can access government tenders and contracts

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Youth Unemployment Outlook August 8th 2012

Inadequate job creation for school leavers remains a major challenge in Kenya

President Kibaki tells African leaders to invest in the youth as a way to become globally competitive in terms of human capital.

Ugandan billionaire launches mentorship portal

Ashish J. Thakkar, CEO of the Mara Group, says the Mara.com portal will nurture an ecosystem for youth while improving skills and emerging talent.

UK coalition government relaunches its flagship youth contract

Through government backed wage subsidies and other incentives, firms are encouraged to take on 18 to 24-year-olds and give them a leg up on the employment ladder.

 

 

 

Youth Unemployment Outlook – August 7th 2012

Do ILO regulations contribute to youth unemployment?

The African Development Bank has claimed that labour regulations were “excessively rigid” and contributed to youth unemployment.

South Africa’s DA presents plan to tackle youth unemployment.

This is the second in a series of five thematic plans to grow the nation’s economy and create jobs. Helen Zille’s party’s campaign to tackle youth unemployment includes a voucher scheme for potential entrepreneurs, a youth wage subsidy and a programme for apprentices.

Scotland’s youth jobless rate reaches 49 per cent

In March this year, Scottish Borders Council missed out on Scottish Government funding worth £9 million to tackle youth unemployment.

South Tyneside’s UcanB program tasked with tackle growing problems created by rising youth unemployment

The project is targeted at young adults who have left school with little or no qualifications.

In China prospects for educated workers gets worse

The Chinese media is rife with tales of overeducated young people taking jobs as cashiers, assembly-line workers, even “night soil collectors.”

 

 

 

National Council for Science & Technology – Health, Water and Sanitation Research Grants

The National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) is accepting Concept Notes for research papers that address Kenya’s health, water and sanitation challenges. Each proposal must by submitted by a team of researchers representing varying backgrounds. Grants are worth Ksh 15,000,000 over a period of three years.

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Youth Unemployment Outlook – August 3rd 2012

African Youth and Governance Conference set to start on august 8^th

The Youth Bridge Foundation will be hosting the 4^th African Youth and Governance Conference

Lithuania: European Social Fund to support up to five thousand youth to find jobs

The Fund will back the government’s drive to help those with little work experience or are long-term unemployed.

South Africa: National Treasury says youth unemployment is at crisis levels

The unemployment rate among people under the age of 25 who want work is about 50 per cent.

US: South Carolina’s youth unemployment rate ranks 3rd worst in the country

South Carolina is ranked 46^th in the US in overall unemployment with youth unemployment at 19.9 percent.

Kenya’s Youth Bulge Can Drive Prosperity

As a result of unchecked fertility in decades past, coupled with reduced child mortality, many people are now in their prime reproductive years, making even modest rates of fertility yield huge population increases. This, according to John Bongaarts of Population Council in New York, translates into adding more than 70 million people to the planet every year, which has been happening since the 1970s. The African continent is expected to double in population by the middle of this century, adding one billion people despite the ravages of Aids and malnutrition.

What does this augur for Kenya?

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