Making Do
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What is the Problem? They are young, they are bored, they are frustrated. In Greece, Portugal and Spain, every second young person is unemployed. Even as the financial crisis slowly comes under control, the situation stays the same. Some blame the system, some blame the unemployed youth. But all in all, it’s about making choices, and being in the right place at the right time.
ANNA SIATKA & MERLE GRIES
“The biggest issue of the EU is the youth unemployment rate,” says Mario Greco, Group CEO of Assicurazioni Generali. The number of young people without jobs in southern Europe proves him right. The self-regulated free market seems to fail in this case: Years after the most recent financial crisis hit, the unemployment rate remains frozen at an incredibly high level. So what is the problem? There is no good answer to this question, or rather, there are a whole variety of factors that put the young generation at a disadvantage in the labour market. In this changing environment, young people need to make compromises, pragmatic choices and adapt quicker than ever. To become leaders, they first need to shape their own tomorrow. We reached beyond the symposium to find four struggling young Europeans searching for solutions to common problems. u
WRONG COUNTRY! Rocio Cid González, 28 Civil Engineer, Spain Problem: Some say that engineers don’t suffer from unemployment. But in my coun try, it’s not the case. Although studied civil eng ineering , I could not find a job in Spain – not even an internship. Many of my friends still live with their parents. They don’t have jobs eith er. If they are lucky, they work as waiters. Solution: I got a job in Norway with a German company. I didn’t want to go further north than Germany, but it was the only opp ortunity. Afterwards, the company extended my contract in Germany. I’d like to return hom e, but now it’s impossible. I’m here to gain expe rience and later get a good job in Spain, whe re my family and friends are. It’s getting better, slowly. The country needs time.