Youth unemployment is one of the most serious problems facing all countries. In 2013, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) calculated that 73 million young people were unemployed. One year later, in December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 15th as the World Youth Skills Day. The purpose was and is to achieve better socio-economic conditions for young people today as a means to deal with unemployment and underemployment issues.
Consequently, the World Youth Skills Day is a key date on the calendar for all young people and for entities dedicated to dealing with this challenge. It is a unique opportunity to highlight the work carried out by institutions and for the new generations that are joining the labour market to state the difficulties they are encountering.
Young people are three times more likely to be unemployed and to find themselves doing low-quality jobs than adults. In addition, young women have even greater chances of being underemployed and being paid less than men.
Within this context, Goal 4 (Quality Education) of the 2030 Agenda promoted by the United Nations, states the importance of developing technical and professional skills to promote employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, eliminating gender inequalities and ensuring access to vulnerable people.
