Definition of Youth Unemployment according to ILO
A country’s social and economic growth depends heavily on its youth population, which is unquestionably one of its most powerful forces and resources. Many young people have a lot of energy, daring, and innovative ideas that may help shape the country’s social and economic growth, but only if they are well-coordinated and actively participating in it (Carvalho, 2015). Despite their importance, young people encounter several difficulties, one of which is the problem of unemployment. In both rich and developing countries, youth unemployment is a big problem. Due of the high poverty levels in emerging nations, the issue of young unemployment is of greater concern to these countries (ILO, 2011).
International Labour Organization (ILO) defines youth unemployment as the percentage of the youth workforce that is jobless. A person is classified as jobless if, at the time of a reference point, they were: unemployed, currently available for work, and actively seeking employment. In other words, the labour force is made up of both employed and jobless people (MercyCorps, 2020). A community’s growth and development can be harmed if a large number of its young people are unemployed. Young people who are unemployed are more likely to feel alone, anxious, and unsure about their future if they are left uncontrolled by the problem of youth unemployment (Crowley, et. al., 2013). Considering the fact that over 90% of all young people reside in low-income countries, the failure of millions of young people to believe in the possibility of a better life might bring down weak nations (Mission Australia, 2010).
Cumberland City’s unemployment rate was 8.5% in the third quarter of 2021. The Department of Employment compiles the unemployment rate using data from the ABS labour force survey and Centrelink. Small Area Labour Markets, a publication for local governments, publishes it quarterly (CommunityId, 2021). The issue of unemployment is a major concern and because of this several other issues such as mental illness, suicide ideation etc prevails. To address these problems, the research is important.
The research aims at identifying the causes and reasons of unemployment among youth in Cumberland Council of Sydney Australia.
- To identify the seriousness of the problem of unemployment
- To explore the potential causes of unemployment among youth in general and specifically in the Cumberland region
- To seek out for the solution of unemployment among youth generation
- What are the potential reasons and causes of Youth unemployment?
- How can this cause and issues be addressed to resolve the problem of youth unemployment in Cumberland council of Australia?
Economic, political, and social factors all factor into the multifaceted idea of unemployment. In order to define and quantify this idea, it is dependent on the economic, social context and culture in which it is measured as well as the education system. ILO defines unemployed persons as those who haven’t worked for more than an hour during the brief reference period, but who are willing and able to do so. Both rich and developing nations have a larger percentage of unemployed young people than adults, according to research. The high rate of adolescent unemployment in comparison to the adult population is attributed to a variety of factors, including a dearth of prior work experience and education, a mismatch in skills, and a young age at which most people finish high school. The United Nations defines a youngster as someone who is between the ages of 15 and 24. But the idea of youth may mean different things in different places throughout the world because of differences in cultural norms, traditions, and social behaviours. The majority of young people in developing nations are still in school, where they are acquiring the skills and information they will need when they enter the workforce (Junankar, 2015).
Impact of Youth Unemployment on Society
The prosperity of businesses, communities, and countries all benefit greatly from the employment of young people. Young people, despite their lack of work experience, are quick learners who are able to quickly adapt to the standards of the companies they work for. Because they are physically fit, they can work for longer periods of time than adults. Additionally, kids have a longer payback on the investments because they can stay for a longer term in the company firms compared to the older employees (ILO, 2011). Young people are more likely to spend a larger share of their income on products and services that contribute to the country’s overall economic growth, according to the International Labor Organization (2011). However, those who have a steady job and earn a greater salary are more likely to save and invest their money or deposit it in a bank. As a result, the amount of money accessible to entrepreneurs looking to establish a firm or fund small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help expand the economy of their country grows. Employment rates and a country’s economic progress have a positive correlation, according to Levine (2011). Productivity can only rise further if the currently employed labour force is expanded. Young people represent a bigger share of the global population than any other demographic, makes it a great supply of labour for expanding industries. In developing nations, young people’s employment is critical to the well-being of their communities and families. Young people’s education costs society and families a lot of money and they want them to be productive after they finish school. By relieving families of some of the caregiving responsibilities, youth employment contributes to the growth of the community as a whole. Employment of young people aids in the alleviation of poverty in families, since the working young people contribute to this effort. As a result, youth employment minimises societal costs in the country by reducing violence, criminal activity, drug addiction, and prostitution (McLean Hilker & Fraser, 2009).
Lack of education is cited as a primary cause of young unemployment, while an increase in educational attainment is touted as a solution. People without a college degree are more likely to be stuck in low-wage, part-time jobs with no benefits or advancement opportunities, according to the National Board for Education, Employment, and Training.
Young people’s socioeconomic situation is frequently identified as a primary contributor to youth unemployment, which restricts the possibilities available to them. In a study done by IdCommunity and the ABS labour force 2021, The percentage of the working-age population who are out of work is shown here in the form of the unemployment rate, which is the percentage of the working-age population who are unemployed. In order to qualify as unemployed, a person must be out of work and actively looking for work.
Unemployment is a key metric for gauging a region’s economic health. Unemployment can be low in prosperous areas where people have convenient access to jobs, or it can be high in unemployed areas where people leave the region in search of work. A high rate may suggest a decline in the economy, or a disadvantaged population in a particular neighbourhood.
Cumberland City’s Unemployment Rate
(Source: Id Informed)
The extent of the problem of young unemployment has been demonstrated by previous research from throughout the world. Determinants of teenage labour market success and its impact on future social and economic development were examined in the research by Dimian (2011). According to the findings of the study, young unemployment has a detrimental effect on the GDP of the country (GDP). Unemployment insurance and the levy on labour costs were also found to have an effect on young unemployment. Youth unemployment is less common in nations with high rates of agricultural work.
The choice was made on the basis of the appropriateness of the methods. The researcher selected suitable research methods relevant to the research issue in this study for attaining the research aim and objectives. In this study, the investigator has chosen Cumberland city company as a case where the study has to examine causes of unemployment among youth in the city of Australia. In accordance with this, the author has made selections below:
In this study, interpretivism research philosophy is used to determine the participants’ perceptions, opinions, experiences, and viewpoints. As a result, realism and positivism have been eschewed in favour of a more free-form approach to hypothesis development and testing. Helps in understanding information in a sensitive way by employing interpretivism philosophy (Ryan, 2018). As a result, it aids the researcher in determining the underlying reasons of adolescent unemployment. Two methods are acceptable for collecting data from participants and systematising it: inductive and deductive. An inductive approach is employed in this project to provide for a more flexible approach to formulating hypotheses and testing any variables. Deductive reasoning is used in a different way than inductive reasoning. This investigation does not need the development of hypotheses, which is the primary goal of this section. Variability in conducting the investigation is possible by answering the conceptual research problem and accomplishing its stated objective (Woiceshyn & Daellenbach, 2018).
Using a survey approach, the researchers are conducting this project’s quantitative investigation. Qualitative methods were not used in this study since they would have required the collection of observational data. The study’s goal is to obtain accurate data while presenting it in a statistically sound manner. Additionally, quantitative research design allows researchers to collect conceptual data that is relevant to their study question. This is a suitable method for doing this research and obtaining possible results (Bloomfield & Fisher, 2019).
When it comes to the research strategy for this project, the author has taken several important decisions. A wide range of methods are incorporated into the process, including literature reviews, experiments, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, case studies, observation, and focus groups, among others (Atmowardoyo, 2018). During this study, the researcher utilised a survey method to collect responses from participants to acquire their thoughts, opinions, and perceptions about the research topic. A questionnaire method is being used by the researcher in this study to collect data and perform the investigation. These approaches are enabling researchers for getting an effective amount of data for the investigation and analysis associated with their perceptions about the causes of unemployment among youth in Cumberland Council of Australia. An online survey allows the researcher to get useful data in the fastest time possible, but the author is unable to do so since it would take more time, money, and effort to collect data this way. However, as a student in the covid-19 phase, it is best to keep a social distance. Google Forms has been utilised to conduct an online survey.
Causes of Youth Unemployment
When doing research, selecting a sample size is essential. If the study’s target audience is chosen incorrectly, the paper’s quality will suffer and the results will be erroneous. The researcher will take responses of 10 people with an approach of non-random sampling. The target respondents will be unemployed people for any reason.
Primary research makes it easier for the researcher to use current and fresh data for this project. As part of the study, there are several ways to gather primary data, including surveys, focus groups and questionnaires. However, the study has picked the principal approach for conducting the survey meaningfully from all of the other techniques that may be used to gather data (Fowler, 2013). These methods enable the researcher to collect a sufficient number of data to investigate and analyse the study’s goals and objectives.
Considering the goal of this study and the selection of the aforesaid methodologies, statistical and descriptive analysis was the most appropriate way for data analysis. For presenting the facts, statistics are the best option (Zook & Pearce, 2018). If statistical analysis is employed, the data can be displayed in the form of graphs and tables. It is also possible for the researcher to make sense of the charts and figures by doing descriptive analysis. As a result, the study’s use of these two studies is very successful.
To adhere to university requirements, each piece of research done by those engaged in this study must be cited by the author of the article. Additional safeguards were taken to avoid ethical concerns such as plagiarism and copyright infringement. It is the author’s duty to protect the confidentiality of the information they create. A total of ten people took part in this study, all of whom provided original data. They were given a consent form to sign so that they could see how much the investigator cares about protecting their personal information as well as where their efforts are going. Additionally, the author stored the data on a pen drive and kept it in a secure location so that no one could access the information. In this study, the author does not ask for any personal information like name, phone number, or email address because that information may betray the subjects identify (Connelly, 2014).
Conclusion
The research is significant as it is addressing a major issue which is faced at international level and within the targeted region of the study as well. For this research, the investigator will be conducting a survey through questionnaire to identify the perception of people who are facing the issue of unemployment and its implications. The data will be analysed and discussed to reach out to appropriate conclusion and suggesting measures to deal with the issue of unemployment, on the part of perceived authorities.
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