2.2 Wasting opportunities: Working Out of Poverty
2.2 Wasting opportunities: Working Out of Poverty
a person’s chances of escaping poverty. About 100 million young people enter the global workforce every year, mainly in developing countries.
With more than 1 billion of the world’s population today between 15
and 25 years of age, this trend is set to continue through to 2015 and beyond.
If, as they reach adulthood and themselves become parents, they are able to
find decent and productive employment, a huge step can be made towards
reducing and eliminating extreme poverty.
Current trends are not encouraging. In most developing countries,
young women and men face the choice of informal work or no work. The
ILO estimates that around 74 million young women and men are unemployed
throughout the world, accounting for 41 per cent of all the 180 million
unemployed persons globally,and many more young people are working
long hours for low pay, struggling to eke out a living in the informal economy.
An estimated 59 million young people between 15 and 17 years of age
are engaged in hazardous work.
Young people actively seeking to participate
in the world of work are two to three times more likely than older
generations to find themselves unemployed. In many countries, young
women are more likely to be unable to find work than young men.
Those
with less than 12 years’ schooling and a low level of educational attainment
are also particularly disadvantaged.
Young workers, especially those seeking their first job, are acutely affected
by the overall state of demand for labour. When the business cycle
turns down, employers first stop hiring, then lay off those most recently
taken on. Youth unemployment is about 30 per cent in Panama, Uruguay
and Venezuela and about 40 per cent in Argentina and Colombia. The worst
affected are the poor. In 1997, before the onset of the current crisis, open
youth unemployment in Argentina from poor urban households was 55 per
cent, compared with a national average for all young people of 24 per cent.
With seven out of ten new jobs in Latin America created in the informal
economy over the decade of the 1990s, income earned by young people aged
20 to 24 is half that of adults and, for those under 19, only 30 per cent. In
Africa, where up to 55 per cent of the population is under 18 years old in
some countries, youth unemployment is 56 per cent in South Africa and between
30 and 40 per cent in Algeria, Egypt and Morocco. In Asia and the
Pacific, the ILO estimates that about 30 per cent of the region’s 650 million
young people are not in regular work.
The cost of youth unemployment to economic and social development
is extremely high. It perpetuates the inter-generational cycle of poverty and
is associated with high levels of crime, violence, substance abuse and the rise
of political extremism. In some countries virtually the only paid occupation
open to many young men is to join the various armed groups involved in civil
conflict. For young women, the dangers of entrapment in the sex industry are
widespread.
Yet the current generation of young workers are the most educated in
human history. Their expectations are high, fuelled by the images spread by
the international entertainment industry. In September 2000, the Millennium
Summit resolved to “develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work”.
This is a pledge that the world cannot afford not to honour.
22 Wasting opportunities Working Out of Poverty - To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
The transition from school to work, from childhood to adult life, can determine
a person’s chances of escaping poverty. About 100 million young people enter the global workforce every year, mainly in developing countries.
With more than 1 billion of the world’s population today between 15
and 25 years of age, this trend is set to continue through to 2015 and beyond.
If, as they reach adulthood and themselves become parents, they are able to
find decent and productive employment, a huge step can be made towards
reducing and eliminating extreme poverty.
Current trends are not encouraging. In most developing countries,
young women and men face the choice of informal work or no work. The
ILO estimates that around 74 million young women and men are unemployed
throughout the world, accounting for 41 per cent of all the 180 million
unemployed persons globally,and many more young people are working
long hours for low pay, struggling to eke out a living in the informal economy.
An estimated 59 million young people between 15 and 17 years of age
are engaged in hazardous work.
Young people actively seeking to participate
in the world of work are two to three times more likely than older
generations to find themselves unemployed. In many countries, young
women are more likely to be unable to find work than young men.
Those
with less than 12 years’ schooling and a low level of educational attainment
are also particularly disadvantaged.
Young workers, especially those seeking their first job, are acutely affected
by the overall state of demand for labour. When the business cycle
turns down, employers first stop hiring, then lay off those most recently
taken on. Youth unemployment is about 30 per cent in Panama, Uruguay
and Venezuela and about 40 per cent in Argentina and Colombia. The worst
affected are the poor. In 1997, before the onset of the current crisis, open
youth unemployment in Argentina from poor urban households was 55 per
cent, compared with a national average for all young people of 24 per cent.
With seven out of ten new jobs in Latin America created in the informal
economy over the decade of the 1990s, income earned by young people aged
20 to 24 is half that of adults and, for those under 19, only 30 per cent. In
Africa, where up to 55 per cent of the population is under 18 years old in
some countries, youth unemployment is 56 per cent in South Africa and between
30 and 40 per cent in Algeria, Egypt and Morocco. In Asia and the
Pacific, the ILO estimates that about 30 per cent of the region’s 650 million
young people are not in regular work.
The cost of youth unemployment to economic and social development
is extremely high. It perpetuates the inter-generational cycle of poverty and
is associated with high levels of crime, violence, substance abuse and the rise
of political extremism. In some countries virtually the only paid occupation
open to many young men is to join the various armed groups involved in civil
conflict. For young women, the dangers of entrapment in the sex industry are
widespread.
Yet the current generation of young workers are the most educated in
human history. Their expectations are high, fuelled by the images spread by
the international entertainment industry. In September 2000, the Millennium
Summit resolved to “develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work”.
This is a pledge that the world cannot afford not to honour.
22 Wasting opportunities Working Out of Poverty - To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to International's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Networking Online Risk Management Special Report Campaigns to Customers Employee Engagment |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 SEO Posts - 2008
Top SEO Posts of the Year | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
