Youth unemployment is on the rise across the world. “Generation jobless” is the term The Economist used to designate the massive presence of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 - more than 300 million of them - who are not integrated into the job market. The crisis is worrisome for a number of reasons, in particular: its geographical dispersion, the general ageing of the population in OECD countries, and the negative consequences it has for individuals, society and the economy. A recent study by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions focuses on a particular aspect of the youth labor market, namely young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs: Characteristics, Costs and Policy Responses in Europe, Publication Office of the EU, 2012).
This report will be the center piece of a conference on the evolution of the phenomenon of youth unemployment, and NEETs in particular, and on the different patterns across EU countries. The evaluation of policies put forth by the European Commission is a necessary step in understanding the adequacy of responses and the likely evolution of the problem.
Special thanks to NYU Florence students: Dena Behnam and Arfa Rehman – graphics Mackenzie Cyr and Levi Leet - social media outreach Nicole Marie D’Alessio - student journalist
Program
1:00 p.m. Light Lunch
2:00 Introduction
2:00-3:15 Session 1 - Youth Unemployment and Disengagement Ewelina Jelenkowska-Lucà, European Commission, Representation in Rome - General framework Massimiliano Mascherini, Eurofound - Presentation of Eurofound Report Arnstein Aassve, Università Luigi Bocconi
3:15-4:30 Session 2 – The Case of Italy Eliana Viviano, Bank of Italy Daniele Fano, Italian Ministry of Labor
4:30-4:45 Coffee Break
4:45-6:00 Session 3 – School to Work and Gender Issues Michael Gebel, University of Mannheim Letizia Mencarini, Università degli Studi di Torino Valentina Barcucci, International Labor Organization
6:00-7:00 Concluding Round Table moderated by Giampiero Gallo, Università degli Studi di Firenze and New York University Florence
