Youth Employment Seminar
Date: December 4 & 5, 2008
Venue:
Background: 
In April 2008, based on a proposal made by Mexico, the Council of Ministers of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), instructed the Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation – trinational office supporting the Council - to organize a cooperative activity on youth employment, due to the importance of this subject on a regional and global scale. The NAALC considers among its objectives the development of cooperative activities on labor topics benefiting Canada, Mexico and the United States. Thus, the Secretariat, in collaboration with the National Administrative Offices of the three countries, is organizing the Youth Employment in North America Seminar, where successful experiences in the three countries to create job opportunities for young people in North America will be presented.
Youth employment has become a recurrent topic in the development agendas of several countries, as reflected in the Youth Employment Seminar, organized by the Ministry of Labor and Employment of Brazil along with the United States Department of Labor and the Organization of American States (OAS) in Río de Janeiro, on May 20 & 21, 2008.
Problems faced by young people include unemployment, underemployment, lack of appropriate labor link mechanisms, as well as different opportunities for youth at risk.
According to National Survey of Occupation and Employment, performed by the Secretariat of the Work and Social Forecast with the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Data Processing (INEGI), during the third quarter of 2008, Mexican youth population, defined as the group between 14 to 24 years old, was 22,025,824, which constitutes approximately a fifth of the total population of Mexico. From this youth population, 10,680,898 were men and 11,344,926 were women. According to the 2000 US Census, the United States' youth population (defined as 16 to 24 years old) was 35,164,487, which constitutes approximately 12 % of the total population of the United States. From this youth population, 51% were men and 49% were women. In Canada, according to the 2006 Census, the Canadian youth population, defined as 15 to 24 years old, totals 4,220,875, and represents 13.4% of the Canadian total population, with 50.8% of this population being male and 49.2% female.
During the third quarter of 2008, 9,952,066 young persons were part of the Mexican Labor Force. In other words, 21.9% of the Labor Force were in the age range of 14 to 24 years old. From this population, 9,132,743 were employed and 819,323 were unemployed, representing a Youth unemployed rate of 8.23%, higher compared to an overall rate of 4.19%. During the second quarter, in , the labor force participation rate for youth (defined as 16 to 24 years old) – the proportion of youth working or looking for work – was 65.1 percent. In July 2008, 21.0 millions 16- to 24-year-olds were employed and the employment-population ratio for youth – the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian non-institutional population that was employed – was 56.0 percent. At the same time, 3.4 millions youth were unemployed and the youth unemployment rate was 14.0 percent. According to the 2006 Census, 2,757,975 young Canadians are part of the labour force and represent 16.1% of the total labour force in Canada. In 2006, 2,405,385 young Canadians were employed. The unemployment rate for the youth population was 12.8%, compared to an overall rate of 6.6%.
Scope:
The Secretariat is organizing this seminar taking into consideration the Brazil’s Youth Employment Seminar outcomes, in order to look into key issues regarding youth employment. The Seminar will analyze how to create employment opportunities for youth, preparing youth for the work place and skills development; how to engage youth at risk entering the labor market and protecting young people in the workplace.
Objectives:
This seminar aims to facilitate the sharing of best practices and policies in this matter in the three North American countries.
Outcomes:
The Youth Employment Seminar was a tremendous success. Members of the audience and presenters alike commented on the quality of the panels and the relevance of the topics explored. The presentations, questions and discussions were as interesting as they were educational.
There was a general consensus that youth should not be seen as a problem but as a solution. Currently, young people face a global economic crisis and a greater competition; however, this challenge can be mitigated through forming alliances between governments, private sector and academia. Today’s youth needs both education and concrete work experience in order to develop the skills they need to have an advantage in the job market. Creativity and renewal should be at the centre of youth employment development.
The bios and the presentations are also available into the agenda of the seminar.
Click here for Mexico’s press release.
Panel IV: Protecting Young People in the Workplace
From left to right: Athanasios Hristoulas, Andrée Blanchet, Carl W. Heinlein and Fransisco Tornero Applebaum
Director
Department of Social Development and Employment
Executive Secretariat for Integral Development
11:15 – 12:00 p.m. Panel I: Creation of Employment Opportunities for Youth
Mexico: Omar Rodríguez Alarcón, Subcoordinator General de
United States: Erik P. Butler, President of Human
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Panel II: Preparing Youth for the Workplace and Skills
1:45 – 2:25 p.m. Q & A Session / Dialogue among participants
2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Lunch offered by the Secretariat
Director
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Panel III: Engaging Youth at Risk in the Labor Market
4:45 – 5:45 p.m. Q & A Session / Dialogue among participants
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Reception
This panel will analyze the protection of young people in the
Anel Valencia, Under-Coordinator for Hemispheric Labor Policy,
From left to right: Daniel Bernier, Pierre Bouchard, Francisco Pilotti and Anel Valencia