Youth employment
ILO calls for concrete action to tackle youth employment challenge in Latin America
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has paid a two-day visit to Colombia where he met with President Juan Manuel Santos and tripartite Colombian representatives. He also addressed the 9th Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Labour emphasising the persistent challenges of youth unemployment and informality.
CARTAGENA, Colombia – ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has called for concrete action to tackle the problem of youth employment at the 9th Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Labour, which brought together representatives from 22 countries.
The ILO Director-General attended the opening ceremony and the Future of Work Forum at the ministerial meeting – a preparatory meeting for the 25th Ibero-American Summit on "Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education” which is scheduled end of October in Cartagena, Colombia.
Ryder said that there were almost 8 million unemployed youth in Ibero-America, while informality affects 60 per cent of those who succeed in finding a job. To deal with the situation we should “aim for another level, moving from generic solutions to specific programs” for youth.
“Youth employment is an absolute priority,” he underlined. Ryder also mentioned the huge challenge that stakeholders in the world of work face to overcome the “lack of trust of young people”, a challenge which “requires innovative solutions”.
“We have to move from diagnosis towards a specific action plan,” he added.
After meeting with the ILO Director-General, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos lauded the new Projoven law, which facilitates young people’s access to quality formal jobs. The bill eliminates the requirement of holding a military card for those joining the labour market, and offers new incentives for employers to hire young people while also implementing rural youth employment action plans.
“Today, young Colombians constitute a quarter of our labour force, which clearly demonstrates their relevance as agents of production, but they also represent half of the unemployed, which points to the huge challenge we have to face,” President Santos said.
The ILO Director-General attended the opening ceremony and the Future of Work Forum at the ministerial meeting – a preparatory meeting for the 25th Ibero-American Summit on "Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education” which is scheduled end of October in Cartagena, Colombia.
Youth employment is an absolute priority ... We have to move from diagnosis towards a specific action plan."
Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General
“Youth employment is an absolute priority,” he underlined. Ryder also mentioned the huge challenge that stakeholders in the world of work face to overcome the “lack of trust of young people”, a challenge which “requires innovative solutions”.
“We have to move from diagnosis towards a specific action plan,” he added.
After meeting with the ILO Director-General, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos lauded the new Projoven law, which facilitates young people’s access to quality formal jobs. The bill eliminates the requirement of holding a military card for those joining the labour market, and offers new incentives for employers to hire young people while also implementing rural youth employment action plans.
“Today, young Colombians constitute a quarter of our labour force, which clearly demonstrates their relevance as agents of production, but they also represent half of the unemployed, which points to the huge challenge we have to face,” President Santos said.