Youth participation in the labour market in Germany, Spain and Sweden

Abstract

This chapter is part of a publication which examines unemployed youth and their risk of exclusion from society. The publication is based on data from a comparative study of youth unemployment and social exclusion (YUSE) in Europe. Nearly 17,000 unemployed youth from 10 European countries were surveyed. This particular chapter examines how education and training affect labour market participation of long-term unemployed people, aged 18 to 24, within the European Union (EU). In Spain and other Mediterranean countries, education and family background are important factors contributing to youth participation in the labour market. In Germany, youth participation in the labour market is largely dependent on one's work experience and degree of jobsearch. In Sweden, active labour market policies (ALMP) increase probability of employment. Participation in training programs was found to contribute to probability of employment only in Sweden. These findings challenge the effectiveness of ALMP in combating youth unemployment.