In April 2018, slightly less than 3.5 million young people under the age of 25 (excluding students) were unemployed in the European Union, of which 2.433 million were in the eurozone. Compared to April 2017, the number of young unemployed decreased by 464,000 in the EU28 and by 306,000 in the eurozone.
The youth unemployment rate thus stood at 15.3% in the EU28 and 17.2% in the eurozone, compared to 17.2% and 19.3% respectively in April 2017. For the overall European workforce, this rate reached 7.1% for the EU28 and 8.5% for the eurozone.
The differences between the states are very significant. Germany is the country where the youth unemployment rate is the lowest (6%). This is followed by Malta (6.8%) and the Netherlands (6.9%). In comparison, the rate peaks at 45.4% in Greece (as of February 2018), 34.4% in Spain, and 33.1% in Italy.
In 2012, the European Commission launched the “Youth Employment” package.
This package includes a proposal adopted by the Council in 2013 for a Youth Employment Guarantee, a Council recommendation on the quality of traineeships adopted in 2014, as well as the European Alliance for Apprenticeships program.
In addition, the Youth Employment Initiative, launched in 2013, aims to strengthen and accelerate the implementation of measures, particularly in regions where the youth unemployment rate exceeds 25%.
As part of the negotiations on the next multiannual budget of the European Union (2021 – 2027), the European Parliament would like to see an increase in the budget dedicated to youth policy.
