LABOR

Youth employment. The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, said on July 20th that 20% of people between the ages of 15 and 24 are not in formal employment and that 60% of young people are in precarious employment. In the coming months, the ILO is expected to promote recommendations to governments and companies to implement new stimulus programmes to hire people without work experience and training for children under 24 years of age. They will also recommend deepening work plans to reduce the gender pay gap.

According to the Organization’s estimations, 20% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed, six out of ten young people work in the informal sector and another 20 per cent do not study or work. The latter group (more than 20 million people) is largely made up of women, who are unable to join any activity because they are engaged in care tasks that fall disproportionately on them in relation to the male gender. Five of these 20 million people, in turn, are not seeking to enter the labour market.

The ILO will prioritize education and training to increase the employability of young people. It will also promote consultancy services, special contracts and first employment programs to promote the opening up of the labor market. However, they understand that these measures are insufficient without strengthening the demand for employment on the part of companies. They call on countries and companies to design an action plan to build the future of work as a joint public policy (public and private sector) that increases investment in this sector of the population.

Next steps

The ILO, a body composed by governments, businesses and workers’ associations from 187 countries, will encourage its members to implement labor inclusion programs for under-24-year-olds. These plans will include internships, shortened working days and training schemes.