Youth Employment – Towards Better Employment Prospects for Young People
Youth unemployment in Europe is reaching unsustainable levels in a large number of Member States, and this is likely to have long-term economic, political and social consequences on the EU as a whole. A series of initiatives have recently been proposed by the European Commission, which need to be adopted and implemented as soon as possible. Although the role of the EU is considered insufficient in comparison to the size of the issue, efforts should now be made to ensure that the limited funds available should be used in the most effective way possible.
The EPC is leading a Task Force on how to offer better employment prospects to young people in Europe. As part of this Task Force, a series of meetings is being organised on different aspect of youth employment, such as education, training and entrepreneurship. The EPC is also carrying out some research on the regional implementation of the Youth Guarantee Scheme, looking into what concrete initiatives and measures EU money have led to and whether any conclusions can be drawn with regard to the implementation of the Youth Guarantee Scheme. The Task Force, chaired by Ton Wilthagen, Professor of ‘Institutional and legal aspects of the labour market’ at Tilburg University (NL), and coordinated by Claire Dhéret, EPC Senior Policy Analyst, will put forward policy recommendations which could help shape policies in the short and medium term.
In line with the EPC's multi-constituency approach, members of the Task Force comprise high-level stakeholders with various backgrounds and expertise. Organisations involved in the Task Force include:
Assemblée des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d'Industrie - ACFCI
British Council
European Association of the Machine Tool Industries - CECIMO
Church and Society Commission of CEC
Confédération Européenne des Syndicats Indépendants – CESI
Confederation of British Industry – CBI
Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes d'Europe – CRPM
Confrontations Europe
Council of Europe
East Sweden EU Office
EUROCHAMBRES
EUROCITIES
European Commission European Confederation of Junior Enterprises – JADE
European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Eurociett)
European Economic and Social Committee
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions – EUROFOUND
European Parliament
European Youth Forum
Fondazione Cariplo
German Federal Employment Agency
GIZ Representation Brussels
International Labour Organization
International Monetary Fund – IMF
Liaison Agency Flanders-Europe
Mission of Switzerland to the European Union
ORGALIME
Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development – OECD
Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union
Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union
Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union
Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union
Philip Morris International
Scottish Government EU office
Skåne European Office
The Confederation of Danish Employers – DA
The Danish Chamber of Commerce
VDAB
Verbindungsbüro Land Kärnten
Vertretung der Freien Hansestadt Bremen bei der EU
Weber Shandwick
Welsh Government
If you would like more information or to become a member of this Task Force, contact Claire Dhéret, Senior Policy Analyst.
(Credit AFP/WWWWWW)