I am from Ireland and youth unemployment here is apparently at 12.5%. Thinking back to my time as a graduate 25 years ago it was very challenging even then to get started in my career.
Two questions occur to me. Firstly, how is it in your European country?
Secondly, youth unemployment is higher in the EU than the US and apparently the strong job protections have a considerable part to play in this. Basically these protections help established older workers but hurt those leaving education. This definitely seems logical anyway and I worry that us middle aged people are failing the young by insisting on making it very hard to fire employees, even for underperformance. Taking this as true would you favour an EU wide lessening of job protections to help European youths find work?
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Neither Cyprus nor Germany have a youth unemployment issue at the moment. Both countries have some of the lowest rates in EU.
Contrary to your hypothesis, the two countries have two different attitudes to worker rights. Germany is highly regulated and has strong dismissal protections, Cyprus is rather laissez-faire and job security is low. So, I really cannot “take it as true”, because it fails to capture reality.
Both countries have a massive low wage sector problem, because both countries have regulations that allow companies to keep labour costs low at the expense the society (Germany with its minijob system, Cyprus with having a “minimum wage” that is not defined by the hour but by the month regardless of hours worked).
Under 2025 youth unemployment was roughly 24%, total unemployment was around 8-9% IIRC.
Less workers protections generally doesnt give much more employment and its stupid. Making employment more insecure or worse salaries is counterproductive for growth and welfare. Swedish governments have tried to incentivise youth employment with lower Employer fees but this has proven to not work at all, like its really just a waste of tax money. It was attempted during covid and the current government introduced this april too and it wont give anything.
Also the government doesnt get to decide Labour unions and Employers collective agreements. Both would hate any government trying to meddle directly in the agreements between them. If the governments start changing the laws without them, they’ll just sign Collective agreements to bypass it and if any government makes that illegal then you’re really just Banning the Swedish Model.
9.1% average. Apparently it’s up to 14.5% if you’re born outside europe and 6,9% if your parents are born in the ntherlnads
15% in Greece. It’s a joke because most of the jobs are part time, tourism focused and shitty pay.
However, I do believe the problem is universal and spread out to every EU country.
Long term one of the lowest rates within EU – 2.7%
Even with the influx of UA refugees we are still in this position. We have always some open positions at my work and when you walk around you see ads nearly at every shop or restaurant that they are looking for staff.