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Demonstrations against austerity have become a common sight in Athens.
So have the huge numbers of young people, over 75 million worldwide, who are unemployed.
Some will eventually even give up the search for work completely…
“It’s very hard for a young person to find a job and…
the general feeling is not great… stress, insecurity, anxiety….”
Gains in rising youth employment rates were wiped out
by economic crisis and tough austerity measures,
according to a report from the International Labour Organization
“We have lost the jobs and they are not coming back.
Our forecast basically shows that we aren’t getting these jobs back in the next 4-5 years
so it means this crisis becomes entrenched on the labour market
and that means that young people lose their skills.”
Long term unemployment not only threatens their skills, but their earning potential.
With businesses closed and jobs scarce,
the employment scene may seem like a farce to some young people.
And more than ever before are forced into part time
or temporary work in place of full time employment.
“I’ve had all kinds of jobs in different fields,
from being a waitress to being a promoter in the supermarket…
some other friends are doing occasional jobs or just a few hours per day.”
It’s not much of a career path to a better paying job.
“I feel a little disappointed about the fact that…
I studied all these years and telling your family that through studies,
you would make your dreams come true, have a nice job…
and then you grow up and understand the whole situation around you
and you think the reality is really hard.
They have to do something.
If you are old, okay, you’ve lived your life… but what about us?
This is why I am anxious…”