By Patricia Martinez, Expedition PR
How can innovation and technology help to increase youth employment in civil societies? This and other questions about the challenges and opportunities using Information and communications technologies (ICT) can decrease youth unemployment are addressed in the chapter called “Innovation and Technology for Youth Employment”, from the UN´s Social Policy and Development Division (DESA) report published November 2013[1].
In this chapter, the authors[2] explain how the world’s youth population has evolved since 1950, and what we could expect by 2050; which continents will allocate the majority of this population and its participation in the labor force. The authors take into consideration the facts behind this evolution, and how socioeconomic factors affect negatively youth employment, both in developed and developing countries.
Unemployment among 15-24 year-olds has historically been over double that of people aged over 25, but the 2008-2009 economic recession widened the gap significantly. Considering this fact, the chapter explains some opportunities to increase youth employment, such as considering ICT as a job and career opportunities creator, as an enabler of entrepreneurship, and as a skill set builder in education and training.
To learn more about this topic, read the entire chapter here
[1] United Nations. “Innovation and Technology for Social Development. Lessons Learned”, by Mr. Amine Lamrabat, Expert in Innovation and Technology, UNDESA-DSPD. November 2013.
[2] Dennis Anderson, Professor & Chairman, Department of Management and Information Technology, St. Francis College President, NABU Knowledge Transfer Beyond Boundaries; Frankie Chen, UNICEF China; Katja Schroeder, President & Sustainability Consultant, Expedition PR; Vice President, NABU ‐ Knowledge Transfer Beyond Boundaries.