Photograph by Lydia
Mind the gap between university and your first job. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Is the EU labour market for young graduates really turning into a gridlock?
“Youth guarantee must be top priority”, promised the European Commissioner responsible for employment, László Andor, earlier this year. However, it is not quite clear where the present EU strategy for youth employment really lies.
Liberty, Equality…Precarity?
Statistics from the World Economic Forum (WEF) show that 1.5 million of employed youth were underemployed in the EU27. According to official data from the Commission, 23.5% of young people under 25 years old are jobless across the EU. In other words, about 7.5 million Europeans are neither in employment nor in education or training. Yet, young Europeans are far better off than some of their counterparts outside the EU. The WEF also revealed that in countries like Turkey, the unemployment rate among university educated women is more than three times higher than that of university educated men. In Saudi Arabia, it is 8 times higher. This proves rather distressing, does it not?
Global sclerotic economy and skyrocketing default rates have deterred companies from confiding in young entrepreneurship. At the other end of the recruitment spectrum, young graduates are reluctant to venture into unknown labour market territories, and instead opt for so-called ‘royal educational paths’. Placing individuals into categories is nonsense!
However, popular and glamorous subjects such as business, finance, science and engineering have become have thrived over the last decade. Nevertheless, they do not look so glamorous for all new graduates from university. Now, imagine you are one of those recent graduates with an arts degree in hand, looking for decent pay. Add to this the possibility you have studied abroad but have no full recognition of your degree in your home country; and, coup de grâce final, you are formally recognised as suffering from a physical impairment. At this very point, you should be – and quite understandably – at a total loss.
Unlike during the early 1980s recession, it is predicted that interest rates will remain low in the EU over the coming years. According to the international bank specialist Investec, the sovereign debt is not shrinking despite recessionary pain. Consider the UK and its £1.3 trillion of national debt. It is very unlikely that British unemployment will go lower than 7% before the 2015 General Election.
Jobs are imported rather than created, and the workforce has become cheaper. Inadvertently, this has created more focus on quantity and disposable work when levels of job security and ‘decency’ are what really merit attention. While a majority of young workers have no other choice but to accept two or three jobs in a row to earn a living, they are very often vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Farewell to meritocracy, welcome to bureaucracy. In this global race to the bottom, what is the future for young workers?
Youth on the move…but where to?
One last, but persisting, political contradiction is to be noted. Part of the Europe 2020 strategy is to promote ‘youth on the move’ and social inclusion. Let’s bring forth from the shadows Regulation No. 1408/71 on the freedom of movement for workers and equal social rights. Since 1971, workers’ mobility has formed part of the Union’s basic principles. Yet, embroiled in the political debate of social mobility, national governments such as the UK Coalition have recently launched proposals for reform on immigration control.
To top it all off, the worrying rise in anti-immigration discourse and the resurgence of far-right political parties, such as the French National Front or the Greek Golden Dawn, have constrained the debates into protectionist fetters. Prospects for migrant and youth labour markets today are six of one, half a dozen of the other. Xenophobia and racism put the EU project of workers’ ‘mobility’ or ‘immigration’ – in whichever way politicians decide to label it – under vehement pressure and unsafe waters. What is clear is that the situation plays into the hands of radical parties.
Keep calm and…browse
So what next? The onus is on both sides. Recruiters and new graduate to new graduate. Firstly, let’s face the facts: European universities need to increase their competitive output. The Economist stated that, in 2011, only 2 European universities – the traditional Oxbridge tandem – were ranked among the world’s top 10 universities. A complete overhaul of university criteria and educational systems is needed. Secondly, a tailor-made labour market must be created. Positive economists assert that economic recovery is under way. Fantastic news. Now such hope should give adequate momentum for young cutting-edge entrepreneurs to kick off their start-ups. Likewise, the mushrooming of speculative bonds in the financial market should be an opportunity for companies to invest a greater amount in youth working potential.
I remain quite sceptical about the latest craze on ‘voluntary work’ or the ‘work for free’ approach. Androulla Vassiliou, member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Youth, calls for ‘increased opportunities for volunteering, youth exchanges and other forms of participation for young people’. Surely Ms Vassiliou could better justify her Commissioner’s salary with more elaborate options for young hard workers?
The emergence of new projects, such as the Youth Mentoring and Apprenticeship Programme, is encouraging companies to invest in Mentoring and Apprenticeship (M&A). The Commission plans to grant professional cards to specific professionals in order to increase the mobility of EU workers across the Union, notably among nurses and engineers. National schemes are pushed forward too. In the UK, eight core cities agreed to sign the Youth Contract, enabling local young employees to enter into local businesses. However ambitious and honourable these projects may look, they remain at an embryonic stage.
Last but not least, while it is true that young job seekers remain at the mercy of a dysfunctional technocratic elite, it is also certain that youth has stagnated in a self-complacent pessimism. Budding job seekers will need to adapt, and acknowledge that the digitalisation of all professions and the spread of social media have become the high yield nerve centre of growth. They should orientate their job-hunting accordingly and target those winning industries. I, for one, should formulate career backup plans, remain plugged in and browse the varying opportunities that are on offer.
Tip of the iceberg
To this day, no European leader has convincingly articulated concrete measures for fear of losing office. A crisis of democratic legitimacy and a leadership vacuum are impeding any fast-track solutions. Most national governments across the EU are battling voters’ general disenchantment with the political class. Yet, “the beginning of every government starts with the education of our youth”. Were Pythagoras still alive, he could certainly teach this to some of our European political leaders today.
Written by Berenice Darnault
