The problems of youth employment are a hot topic in modern society. After all, they are associated with the problems of attracting qualified personnel and affect our economic well-being.
Youth is the future of our country. Logically, it is young professionals who should be most in demand in employment. But in practice, sometimes it turns out differently.
Youth and unemployment
It is difficult to single out the age limits of the socio-demographic group called youth. Conditionally refer to young people from 14 to 29 years old. But youth is not only age, but also social status associated with a specific type of human activity, whether it is study, military service or work. The problem of employment of modern youth is also acute because this circle of people makes up one third of the total number of unemployed. The statistics here are inexorable, and there is still hidden unemployment, the definition of which is practically impossible.
Why is youth so hard to get a job?
We immediately determine that under the law, citizens under 16 years of age cannot be recognized as unemployed. As well as people of working age, but full-time students.
Today in Russia more than 22% of the young population. Of course, the adolescent desire for higher education is commendable. But the problems of youth during employment begin after the young specialist leaves the university with a diploma. Finding a vacancy is almost impossible, so many have to work outside their profession.
The problems of youth employment in Russia are also associated with specific features of this social group. Young people also have a hard time in other areas: social self-determination, housing problems, difficulties in adapting to the economic environment, etc. There is a paradox: Russian youth, the most promising and strong category, is also the most vulnerable.
They and we
In foreign practice, they actively increase the age threshold at which a person should begin his working life. But with us it is the opposite: young people are forced to embark on this thorny path sooner and earlier. According to official figures, more than 80% of people under 18 receive their first earnings. On the one hand, a teenager should develop initiative and labor motivation, but on the other hand, he does not have the opportunity to obtain an appropriate level of education, which automatically reduces the level of future qualifications.
The distribution of personnel policies is uneven: most often, young people are involved in the business and services sectors. Whereas in production and in the budget sector, there is an acute shortage of personnel. The further the youth goes into the shadow economy, the more the whole labor potential of our country suffers. Agree, from this point of view, the solution to the problem of youth employment seems very, very necessary.
The specifics of the youth labor market
- Lack of balance between supply and demand. This is due to fluctuations in the labor orientation of young people, who sometimes find it difficult to decide on their future profession.
- Low competitiveness. Young people in the entire labor market have the highest risk of losing an existing job and not finding a new one.
- Lack of clear understanding of youth employment. Against this background, the number of people who do not work anywhere and do not attend educational institutions is growing steadily.
- High variability.Diverse specialists come to the labor market. However, there is no demand for many professions, so the majority have to somehow find jobs in specialties that are far from their education. Many even have to urgently undergo retraining.
- Unsatisfactory working conditions. Every fifth graduate who enters the job is fired already in the first year, due to poor conditions, the nature of work or the banal dissatisfaction with the chosen profession.
- The problems of employing female youth are even more acute. According to statistics, there are more girls among graduates, however, when applying for jobs in many sectors, employers most often prefer men.
Employer policy
Additional problems of youth employment arise due to increased requirements that apply to personnel without qualifications. Many employers simply consider young people unpromising, treat them without due respect and do not see opportunities for further growth.
Of course, the solution to the problem of youth employment in this case is the task of the state. It is important to provide social support for graduates by softening the criteria for employment or providing a flexible work schedule for those who are still studying. The possibility of employment even without work experience is another fundamentally important criterion, since otherwise a vicious circle is obtained.
A frequent phenomenon in the youth employment system - in fact, the specialist is employed, and legally he is still in a state of unemployment. The employer gives him the opportunity to work only part-time or does not officially register at all. Many experts believe that the solution to this problem may be the development of small and medium-sized businesses - especially in sparsely populated areas.
Is the education system productive?
At the state level, it is difficult to overestimate the degree of importance that timely youth employment has. Its problems and prospects are a reflection of the effectiveness of the educational system itself. After all, there is nothing good when the state invests in the education and training of young specialists, and then retrains them anew and financially supports them as unemployed.
Therefore, the interest in the work of graduates in the specialty is the task of the educational institutions themselves. It is necessary to conduct constant monitoring of the market, closely cooperate with personnel agencies, and of course, introduce a competent information policy with the young people themselves.
Is it really bad to work outside the profession?
In higher education institutions, alas, often graduates receive only basic knowledge, but the level of practical skills is minimal. However, this is also due to the fact that a dynamic labor market is changing literally every day. The profession, which was in demand at the beginning of training, may not be needed by the time a diploma is received. Therefore, young people go to work not where they “need”, but where they can earn good money and move up the career ladder.
However, to obtain the missing skills even in a fundamentally different sphere and partially solve the problems of employment of youth employment today is quite simple. There are many retraining courses, and employers often provide the opportunity for pre-training.
Of course, excess knowledge has not harmed anyone. Just remember Leonardo da Vinci: he became famous thanks to his artistic talent. However, the famous master still made a lot of discoveries in medicine, mechanics, literature and the natural sciences. This is perhaps the best example of how a diversified person managed to approach the solution of the problem of employment from various angles.
Professions for youth: supply and demand
Today, young specialists are practically not interested in productive work. The most interesting areas of employment are management, programming, entrepreneurship, the legal and economic sectors. Creative professions are also in demand.
The most acute youth employment problems are in rural areas and sparsely populated cities. Frequent change of specialty leads to an imbalance in the professional structure. Productive labor prefers material gain. All this, of course, cannot have a positive effect on improving the country's economy.
The most popular areas of activity for young people include sales, information technology, and the economic sector. On the other hand, the positions of administrators, secretaries, accountants are offered to young specialists. A competent graduate with a technical education will also never be left without work.
The problem of youth employment and ways to solve it
Since this problem has been standing for a long time, the state is constantly improving ways out of the crisis in the youth labor market. Special employment services are being created whose task is to regulate and quickly resolve all issues in the labor industry. It is youth employment that is the highest priority for such employment centers that are present in each region.
In order to solve the problems of youth employment, highly specialized labor exchanges are also opening. Their task is to help adolescents find a permanent or at least temporary job. In addition, in social institutions of a wide profile, you can get interesting information and legal support, undergo psychological training and a host of other useful services. All this is done in order to create favorable conditions for the integration of young professionals in the labor market and help them reduce socio-economic tension.
What specific measures are being taken?
The problems of youth employment and ways to solve them are very diverse. The state is implementing a number of measures in this industry:
- Legal prerequisites are being created in order to prevent the growth of unemployment.
- Young specialists are helped to undergo socio-psychological adaptation and enter the modern labor market.
- Young people are trying to employ, based on the abilities and individual interests of each.
- A broad policy of legal education is ongoing.
- Preventive measures are being taken in the area of juvenile delinquency.
- Young families are strongly supported.
- Freedom of choice of a profession and labor protection of a young specialist are ensured.
- Young people are protected from no reasoned refusal of employment or dismissal, at the legislative level.
Moreover, everyone can count on help in finding a suitable job and all kinds of support in this industry for free.
Guarantees of a young specialist
If you are a young specialist who has reached the age of 18 and who has been out of work, you must know what he has the right to count on.
- Obtaining vocational guidance, continuing education and retraining services. Recall absolutely free.
- Psychological and social support in the employment service.
- Compensation of financial costs if you were sent to study or work in another city.
- Free medical care at employment.
Compensation should be considered separately. The state guarantees unemployed young professionals not only unemployment benefits, but also scholarships at the stage of vocational training or retraining. In this case, you can participate in social work, which is paid.And if you agree on the proposal of the employment service to completely move for employment to another locality, the state is obliged to reimburse all material costs.
What professions can I apply for?
Problems of youth during employment are often associated with the fact that the adolescent simply does not know which sphere is worth paying attention to. We recommend that you look not only at the estimated salary, but also build on your own interests and skills. In general, the choice of professions that you can go even without qualifications is not so small.
Many young people are arranged by couriers. If you know your city perfectly, this will be a plus, if not, you will have the opportunity to explore all unfamiliar areas. It’s also a great way to stay fit.
A promoter is a vacancy for those who get along well with people and know how to convince themselves that they are right. An additional advantage will be the opportunity to improve communication skills, which will definitely come in handy in a future, more serious profession.
Girls, and guys too, can get a babysitter. Abroad, this is one of the most sought-after teenage professions, involving real earnings. And what are we worse? If you have talent for teaching, you can also try yourself as a tutor. The ability to find a common language with children, patience and perseverance will affect such work in the best way.
If you are a social and sociable person, you can always find a part-time job in a cafe or restaurant. Well, for those who are used to spending time alone or in a computer company, you can try yourself as a copywriter. Of course, this requires creative inclinations and an excellent sense of language.
Useful Tips
The problems of youth employment in Russia can affect every graduate. Therefore, it is advisable, even at the stage of study, to engage in market monitoring and the search for a future workplace. And when the time comes for professional practice, it is worth making as many useful contacts as possible and seriously look at potential vacancies.
Ideally, it would not hurt the young man to analyze expert forecasts before entering the university: whether this profession is in demand, whether it will be popular after graduation, whether there is confidence in the subsequent successful employment, etc.
Of course, do not forget about self-development and upholding one’s own position in life. The art of presenting oneself from the best side, including during interviews, also needs to be studied.
Who needs a modern market?
It is pointless to complain about the social problems of employment of modern Russian youth. Today, the labor market is in need of active and creative young people with diverse potentials. Therefore, there is nothing for young specialists to do, as closely as possible to comply with these trends, to improve or completely change their skills, to engage in self-education and to constantly defend their place in the sun.