Youth and labor market: Path of hopes and dreams

Careers have become a very essential part of the lives of people in modern societies. In order to be financially independent, acquire self-fulfillment, and serve the community, one has to be equipped with the needed tools and skills to be qualified for an adequate job. 

Among different age groups, the engagement of youth in the labor market and society is essential for both the general economy's growth and social cohesion, as well as for their own economic prospects and well-being.

In this regard, the United Nations declared July 15 as World Youth Skills Day to shed light on the significance of qualifying youth with skills and training for employment and the labor market. 

The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines the youth labor force as the percentage of people aged 15 to 24. Youth labor force participation differs from one country to another depending on economic, social, and cultural elements.

Despite having high rates of education among working age people, countries in North America and Northern and Western Europe have high young labor force participation rates (LFPRs) because they are encouraged to work as part-timers. Meanwhile, in other countries in Central and South America; Central, Eastern, and Western Africa; and Southeast Asia have high youth LFPRs, which reflects economic necessity. 

On the other hand, some countries in the Arab region, North Africa and Southern Africa, LFPRs among youth are low, and they have high rates of youth not in employment education or training (NEET), particularly among young women, according to the ILO. 

In Egypt, in particular, young people are a significant demographic force that puts pressure on the labor market in the country. The population's percentage of youth (ages 15 to 34) climbed from 32.7% in the 1980s to 37.6% in 2006. Their share of the population decreased from 2012 to 2018, when they made up 27.6 million people, or around 31.2% of the entire population, according to the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) Alternative Policy Solution. 

It is also shown that nearly 88% of young individuals aged 15 to 24 and 79% of those aged 25 to 34 claimed that the corona pandemic had decreased their wages, particularly in rural areas, while youth who lost their jobs reached 31% of those aged 15 to 24 and 28% of those aged 25 to 34.

Jusoor Post talked with 24-year-old Youssef Muhammad Ossama, an Egyptian consecutive interpreter, about his experience in the labor market. 

“I decided in my senior year at law school to work as a translator,” he said, adding, “After I graduated, I found out I should have joined the translation diploma while I was an undergraduate.” 

Ossama told us he felt he was lost for a while and started looking for a suitable job that would allow him to have enough time to study translation. 

“The only job opportunity for a fresh graduate is a call center agent, regardless of the major, but I needed a fixed-time job to help me study as well,” he said. 

Ossama stressed that when he started working as a consecutive interpreter at a call center, he found himself more engaged in his career, which is also related to the field of study he desires to start. 

“I want to develop myself and get a translation certificate to get better job opportunities in the labor market,” he added. 

Hassna Ahmed Ismail, an Egyptian undergraduate in her second year at dental school, told Jusoor Post that she is developing her skills from the very first year at college to be ready for the labor market. 

“I am trying to invest in myself and to get trained in several clinics to qualify myself for the dental career,” she said. 

Ismail told us that she is very ambitious to the extent that she wants to establish her own clinics inside and outside Egypt. 

“I want to fuse between cosmetics and dentistry. However, I need to read more and study harder about both fields to find a point of connection,” she added.