New Figures: Same Ol’ Story

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 In News

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Yawn – more EU figures, same ol’ story! It is really getting a bit repetitive and a damn sight harder to find anything new and interesting to tell y’all (I’m not from Texas, but whatever). The new figures released today show that Youth Unemployment in the eurzone rose – no, wait to spice it up I am going to say skyrocketed – from 23.9% to 24%. Meanwhile in the EU – and donning my tabloid journalist’s trilby once more – the rate of youth unemployment slumped from 23.5% to …. wait for it ……23.4%. To sum it up, I think that it is safe to conclude that nothing has changed – except that is for Business and Consumer confidence, both of which, for reasons unknown, buck the prevailing flatlining economic trend.

Ok, so admittedly this stabilisation is an improvement on the out and out haemorrhaging of jobs that we have been witnessing for the past number of years, but it is only an incremental improvement. With this recession and the resultant unemployment crisis, our expectations have diminished; youth unemployment is now seen as inevitable, like a modern rite of passage, while poor pay and long hours are the preserve of the lucky few.

To quote Laszlo Andor, the EU Employment Commissioner, the employment situation is “still very fragile”. While we could speculate all day about what this is EU speak for; it is safe to say that we shouldn’t be popping the champagne just yet. Laszlo goes on to call for an upping of the “jobs effort” and pinpoints the Youth Guarantee Scheme as a “decisive step” in tackling youth unemployment.

In doing so he reminds us that “”we must reach those hardest-to-help. This is important not only for social cohesion, business confidence and political stability in the short run, but also for the long-term growth potential of the EU economy”.

With Europe seemingly at a crossroads the International Youth Job Creation Summit is a timely opportunity to ensure that we chose the correct future path. To find out more about the Summit, please visit https://peacechild.org/jobsummit/

 

Resources:

 

Anon 30.08.2013 EU official calls for more “job effort” as jobless rates remain record high http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2013-08/30/c_132678387.htm

 

Anon 30.08.2013 Eurozone Economic Confidence At 17-Month High; Jobless At Record 12.1% http://www.rttnews.com/2181125/eurozone-economic-confidence-at-17-month-high-jobless-at-record-12-1.aspx?type=alleco

 

Parvez Jabri 30.08.2013 Eurozone unemployment steady at record 12.1pc in July: Eurostat

 http://www.brecorder.com/world/global-business-a-economy/133535-eurozone-unemployment-steady-at-record-121pc-in-july-eurostat.html

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