Topic 110: Today, more school leavers are unable to find jobs. Discuss the causes of rising unemployment among young adults and suggest any solutions.

Unemployment is one of the greatest social problems of our time. The young adults' unemployment is, in particular, a troubling issue preoccupying many governments across the world. Economic recession or volatility is very often presumed to be the main reason, but there are some other forces that foster the consistency of young adults' unemployment, which can be analysed and tackled separately. This essay will present an overall view of these causes and potential solutions.

The biggest single cause of rising unemployment among young people is their lack of work experience and qualifications. Fresh from high school or college, young jobseekers generally have little, if any, practical experience. Besides, most of the knowledge they have acquired is from text, which is not satisfactorily consistent with the general practice in the workplace. This weakness can be fatal at a time when the market has a strong preference on skilled and experienced applicants, who are ready to fill vacancies without requiring any job training. It is also the reason why employers tend to believe that young candidates possess less value than do those already in the workforce.

Another cause of high unemployment is placed at the feet of the youth themselves. Before they reach the working age, young people have little interaction with the world outside the classroom, and, as a consequence, they know little of the situation of the labour market. By the time they graduate, they have an inaccurate picture of the world. It leads to their exceedingly high occupational and wage aspiration. In addition to remuneration and financial incentives, young applicants might have other requirements, such as working environment. It causes them to lose many opportunities to join the workforce immediately.

Tackling youth unemployment requires the commitment of both society and youngsters themselves. The government can provide employers with taxation incentives for recruiting young workers. Low-cost courses, especially job training courses, should be made available for the young unemployed. Consultancy services can be provided free of charge, giving youngsters instruction on job-seeking and helping them make proper adjustment from school to work.

As suggested above, lack of work experience and inappropriate attitudes toward employment are two main reasons that account for youngsters' unemployment. For young people, possibly nothing can be more abrupt than the transition from school to work. In reducing unemployment, the government should play an active role and take a number of measures, with the emphasis placed on improving young people's skills and adjusting their job attitudes.

1. troubling = worrying = disturbing

2. preoccupy = obsess = possess = fixate

3. presume = assume = believe

4. jobseeker = job applicant = job candidate

5. fatal = deadly = lethal

6. skilled = skilful = experienced = competent = ^:proficient = well-trained

7. free of charge = at no cost = without charge

8. adjustment = alteration

9. abrupt = sudden = unexpected

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 3025