Why is youth unemployment rising when there are so many vacancies?
In the media image: Nathan Sack on Unsplash
Youth unemployment in the Netherlands has risen sharply in recent years, though many vacancies cannot be filled. Olaf van Vliet, Professor of Economics, spoke to NU.nl about the issue: ‘Youth unemployment has consistently been higher than the overall unemployment rate.’
In recent years, youth unemployment has not been as high as it is today. Currently, 9.1 percent of 15- to 25-year-olds available for work are unemployed which amounts to around 92,800 young people. At the same time, 400,000 vacancies were not filled in the last quarter. Research conducted by Employee Insurance Agency UWV shows that there is a shortage of engineers, nurses and drivers in the Netherlands. This could indicate a mismatch between labour market supply and demand, with young people possibly opting for fields of study with poorer employment prospects.
According to Olaf van Vliet, the problem is not linked to choice of study: ‘Youth employment has consistently been higher than the overall unemployment rate’, he says. ‘You can’t simply link that to choice of study.’ The professor says that the high unemployment rate is mainly caused by young people having no work experience when they enter the labour market. ‘They haven’t yet built up a cv and have little experience. It’s always hardest for them to find a job.’