The ILO’s approach to Decent Work for Young People Giovanna Rossignotti Coordinator Youth Employment Programme Course (A300850) - Trade union training in employment policies with a focus on youth employment Turin, 11 July 2007

Content I.ILO Youth Employment Programme II.Policies and programmes for decent work for young people: Lessons learned III. National Action Plans on Youth Employment

I.The ILO’s Youth Employment Programme

The ILO’s Youth Employment Programme: Maximizing impact at the country level YEP team Employment Sector Social ProtectionSocial Dialogue Standards and Fundamental Principles & Rights at Work International Training Centre, Turin Field/country-level action Other technical units (DCOMM, CODEV, etc.) Field/country-level action Governments WorkersEmployers

YEP team Employment Sector Social ProtectionSocial Dialogue Standards and Fundamental Principles & Rights at Work International Training Centre, Turin Field structure Other technical units (DCOMM, CODEV, etc.) Field structure Governments WorkersEmployers The YEP role in the YEN partnership YEN

ILO Plan of Action to promote pathways to decent work for youth Building knowledge Advocacy & promotional activities Technical assistance

II. Policies and programmes for decent work for young people

The ILO’s approach to decent work for young people Meeting the challenge at the nation level requires an integrated and coherent approach that: combines supportive economic policies with targeted interventions; addresses both labour demand and supply; tackles both the quantity and quality of employment; and involves multiple stakeholders, including employers’ organizations, trade unions and young people, in the design and implementation of interventions

Economic policies for employment expansion  Need to prioritize employment in economic and social policy- making  Review impact of macroeconomic and social policies on youth employment  Identify and develop sectoral policies in sectors with youth employment creation potential  Use investments in infrastructure, including through labour-based public works, to promote employment among low-income and low-skilled youth Some lessons:

Skills, technology and employability  Quality and relevance of education and training are key to making young people employable  Make vocational education and training (VET) responsive to labour market requirements  Strengthen links between education and training and the world of work  Involve the social partners in design and implementation of VET policies and programmes Some lessons:

Enterprise development  Improve business environment and enterprise development policies as a way to expand job opportunities for youth  Include entrepreneurship training in youth employment strategy  Ensure that entrepreneurship initiatives for youth are part of a broader strategy for business development  Improve the targeting of youth entrepreneurship initiatives, including micro-credit programmes Some lessons:

Labour market policies and institutions  Lowering the wages of young people unlikely to be an effective means of combating youth unemployment  No conclusive evidence that increasing flexibility of employment protection legislation for youth improves long-term employment outcomes  Design ALMPs as an integrated package of services and target them to the most disadvantaged youth  Improve the capacity of Public Employment Service to bridge demand and supply of labour and to tailor their services to young jobseekers Some lessons:

Governance, empowerment and organizational capital  Progress in improving the employment situation of young people requires broad-based and sustained commitment over time by several actors  Broad-based dialogue and consultation throughout the process and a clear definition of roles and responsibilities  Pledge of appropriate resources Some lessons:

IV.National Action Plans on Youth Employment

What’s the experience so far? Main findings of the 2005 UN Global analysis and evaluation of NAPs on youth employment: 1. No “magic bullet” but integrated and coherent approach 2. Most of YE policies have focused on the supply side 3. Labour supply interventions are likely to fail if not accompanied by policies to stimulate demand and create additional jobs 4. Youth employment should not be approached as a sub-set of the labour market but within policies for all age groups 5. Consultative process has been weak 6. Need to share knowledge and experience across countries 7. Concerted and coordinated action is required at local, national and international levels 8. Strategies and programmes for youth employment provide an entry point for building political consensus and policy coherence

Towards “operational” NAPs on YE: Getting the right approach … problem identification situation analysis monitoring & evaluation policy options policy implementation policy decision The policy cycle

Towards “operational” NAPs on YE: Getting the right approach (cont.)… Part 1- Situation analysis - Overview of the economic and social context - Analysis of the youth labour market - Review of existing policies and programmes affecting youth employment - Institutional framework and coordination on youth employment - Development cooperation on youth employment Part 2 – Setting priority policies - Problem identification - Generating policy options Part 3 – Planning action - Goal - Youth employment objectives and targets - Main operational outcomes and indicators - Resources - Implementation and coordination mechanism - Monitoring and evaluation Source: Guidelines for the preparation of NAPs on youth employment (ILO, draft)

…and keeping the process right  Sustained commitment by the country  Determined and coordinated efforts by many actors (e.g. governmental institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, private sector, international assistance community, etc.)  Broad-based dialogue and consultation throughout the NAP process (from problem identification to monitoring and evaluation)  Clear definition of roles and responsibilities  Pledge of appropriate resources

For more information, see Youth Employment Programme International Labour office 4, route des Morillons CH – 1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland