欧洲地中海研究委员会：地中海南部青年失业：对发展和稳定的长期挑战（英）-2022.1-28页_1mb

Summary of "Youth Unemployment in the South of the Mediterranean: A Chronic Challenge to Development and Stability"

Core Content

This document explores the chronic issue of youth unemployment in the Southern Mediterranean, focusing on its impact on individuals, societies, and regional stability. It highlights the structural and economic factors that contribute to this problem and proposes policy recommendations to address it.

Main Points

1. Youth Unemployment as a Global Issue

• Youth unemployment in the Southern Mediterranean is the highest globally, with a rate of 26.1% in 2019, compared to 19.6% in South Asia and a world average of 15.3%.
• The issue has been chronic, persisting for at least three decades, indicating long-term structural challenges rather than temporary policy failures.
• The region's youth population is among the youngest globally, with 46.8% of the population under 24 in 2021.

2. Implications of Youth Unemployment

• Economic Impact: Unemployment leads to loss of income and long-term wage scars, reducing future earnings.
• Health Impact: Prolonged unemployment is linked to health deterioration, including psychological issues and harmful habits.
• Social and Political Impact: High youth unemployment contributes to social unrest, political instability, and even violent extremism.
• Migration Impact: Youth unemployment is a major driver of irregular migration, particularly for young people seeking better opportunities abroad.

3. Gender Disparities in Youth Employment

• Female Youth Unemployment: Is significantly higher than male youth unemployment, especially in Egypt and Algeria, where rates reached 53.4% and 52.7% respectively in 2019.
• Male Youth Unemployment: Though high, it is not the highest globally and is comparable to other regions.
• Labour Force Participation: The youth labour force participation rate in the region is 26.4%, one of the lowest globally, with a gender gap where male participation is more than double that of females.
• Employment Rates: The employment rate among youth is also low, with 5–11% for females and 17.9–20.6% for males in 2019.

4. Structural Causes of Youth Unemployment

• The decline in public employment since the 1970s, due to economic liberalisation and structural adjustment programmes, has been a major factor.
• Informal employment has surged to compensate for the lack of formal private sector jobs, leading to low-quality, unstable employment.
• Public sector dominance was a key feature of the Arab Social Contract, which relied on mass public employment and subsidies in exchange for political loyalty.

5. Regional Variations

• Tunisia has the highest youth unemployment rate at 35.8% in 2019.
• Egypt saw a decline in youth unemployment following the 2016 economic reform programme.
• Algeria and Morocco have seen rising informal employment rates, with 75.6% in Morocco and 56.8% in Algeria in 2017.

6. Youth Employment Dynamics

• Informal employment is widespread, characterised by no formal contracts, no benefits, and self-employment in micro-enterprises.
• Educated women are more likely to seek public sector jobs due to better working conditions and benefits, but face long waiting periods and limited opportunities.
• Young males are also affected, with declining employment rates and deteriorating job quality, particularly in the formal sector.

Key Information

• EuroMeSCo is a network of think tanks and experts working on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, focusing on economic development, security, and migration.
• The paper is part of the "EuroMeSCo: Connecting the Dots" project, co-funded by the European Union and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).
• Youth unemployment is not only a personal issue but also a societal and regional challenge, with widespread consequences.
• The gender gap in youth unemployment and employment is a critical issue, with female employment rates being the lowest in the region.
• Informal employment has become a major employment channel, especially in the absence of formal job creation.
• Policy recommendations are needed to address both domestic and regional aspects of the youth employment crisis.

Conclusion

Youth unemployment in the Southern Mediterranean is a deeply-rooted structural problem, driven by the decline in public employment and the slow growth of formal private sector jobs, leading to a surge in informal employment. This issue has long-term economic, social, and political consequences, including wage scars, health issues, social unrest, and migration pressures. Addressing this crisis requires targeted policies, gender-sensitive approaches, and regional cooperation to promote job creation, formal employment, and youth inclusion in the labour market.