OECD calls for enhanced efforts to tackle youth unemployment

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) called on governments to step up efforts to tackle youth unemployment on Wednesday.

One in four 16-29 year-olds, representing more than 35 million young people, across OECD countries is neither employed nor in education or training (NEET), said a report released on Wednesday by OECD.

"Addressing this issue is not only a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity," said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, who launched the report in Berlin.

According to the new OECD report, overall, young people are twice as likely as prime-age workers to be unemployed.

Around half of all NEETs in the OECD are out of school and not looking for work and are likely to have dropped off the radar of their country's education, social, and labour market systems, said the report.

"Too many young people leave education without having acquired the right skills and, even those who do, are prevented from putting them to productive use. These young people often face a difficult future and need all our support," said Angel Gurria.

According to the new OECD report, even young people with strong skills have trouble finding work, as many firms find it too expensive to hire individuals with no labor market experience.

Therefore, as the report pointed out, governments need to do more to give young people a good start to their working lives and help them find work. Endit