Ei-iE

Eurostat published an article on participation of young people in education and the labour market on 12 July 2013. The article explains how youth unemployment in the EU is measured and how youth unemployment rates are affected by the transition of young adults from education to the labour market.

There exist significant structural differences among European countries in young people's participation in the labour market. The explanation is a combination of institutional factors e.g. formal apprenticeship schemes, cultural determinants, whether there is a job market for students and the role of professional training. Additionally, differences in the national systems of education and training also play a major role.

It is possible to create some country groups to identify common features. Figure 3 plots the situation of EU countries according to these two dimensions and suggests possible country clusters. The first parameter for country grouping is the degree to which those in education are simultaneously also on the labour market. A second parameter is the level of youth unemployment, measured in terms of the youth unemployment ratio.

As the article highlights when it comes to young people, participation in education and in the labour market interact in complex ways going beyond a straightforward one-way transition from school to work. This is important issues to bear in mind when interpreting and assessing the youth unemployment rates. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Participation_of_young_people_in_education_and_the_labour_market