jobs for new generations

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EmployingThe

NextGe

nerationA report by Generation Europe Foundation and The FutureWork Forum

Part 2 : The Right Skills in the Right Place at the Right Time 2010


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Generation Europe Foundation / The FutureWork Forum 2010

Quotation from the report is encouraged with attribution: Source: Employing the NEXTGeneration 2010: The Right Skills in the Right Place at the Right Time, by Generation Europe

Foundation and the FutureWork Forum. For further information on editorial use, article

preparation or interviews please contact: Catie Thorburn, President, Generation Europe

Foundation. 123 Chausse St Pierre, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 (0) 26481542 /

email: [email protected] copies of the report are available from Generation Europe Foundation at the

address above at 25.00 (post paid).

All rights r eserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise without the prior permission of Generation Europe Foundation. All information in the reports isveried to the best of the authors and the publishers ability, but neither can accept responsibility for lossarising from decisions based on this report. Where opinion is expressed it is that of the authors, which

does not necessarily coincide with the views, mission or policy of the Generation Europe Foundation orthe FutureWork Forum.


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Generation Europe Foundation FutureWork Forum

Employing The Next Generation Part 2: The Right Skills in the Right Place at the Right Time

1

Foreword

The NEXT Generations in trouble and they know it ! Record levels of

youth unemployment, economic chaos and mass clearouts of both the

public and private sectors in many countries means that the prospectsof landing a job much less holding onto it are grim indeed. When we

launched this second edition of Employing the NEXT Generation early in

2010 many wise heads suggested that this wasnt the time for a survey

into this contentious issue. Now having heard from over 7,000 young

people across Europe (and beyond) were glad we did.

Why ? Because weve gained some amazing insights into how the NEXT

generation see their futures. We know what they worry about, we know

what they will do to get a job and we know a lot more about where the

future is likely to take them. Most interesting of all perhaps, is that while

a large number of those interviewed look to national and international

governments and institutions to solve their problems others feel equally

at home just getting on with looking after themselves.

This has been a fascinating journey. And it isnt over yet. The Generation

Europe Foundation and the FutureWork Forum are planning more of

these initiatives, both as surveys and as a platform for discussion. Wehope the ndings of our far-ranging survey on the NEXT generation help

you to understand this important sector of our society. If you have any

views please let us know. We want to hear what everyone has to say on

this subject.

November 2010

Catie Thorburn Mike Johnson

President Chairman



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2

Employing the Next Generation 2010 is a joint research initiative by

Generation Europe Foundation and the FutureWork Forum, with the

nancial support of Manpower Inc conducted between April and June

2010, with data gathered on-line and in face-to-face interviews. On-line

research and the essay competition were hosted and organized by the

Generation Europe Foundation, a youth communication agency that hosts

a leading European youth online community and discussion platform.

The FutureWork Forum, which has over 20 partners in all parts of the

world, was founded in 2003 as an independent global think-tank working

with senior management in public and private organisations helping them

anticipate the future of work. The FutureWork Forum help organisations

create exciting programs to drive new levels of employee engagement,

customer satisfaction and business performance. Full details are available

on the FutureWork Forum website www.futureworkforum.com

Generation Europe Foundation works with various stakeholders

(industry, policy-makers and civil society) to address with them issues

that concern, or are of concern, to young Europeans. Both on and off-line,GEF engages in debates about important issues that affect the individual

and collective futures of young Europeans.

Generation Europe Foundation is committed to facilitating multi-sectoral

dialogue that helps young people Shape the Future. This is done by

collecting their views and opinions on topical issues, and representing

them to industry, policy-makers, civil society and the media.

Discover all the Generation Europe Foundation activities at

www.generation-europe.eu.

Author :

Mike Johnson, chairman of the FutureWork Forum

Research Supervision :

Nick Winkeld, partner FutureWork Forum

Project Director :

Catie Thorburn, founder Generation Europe Foundation

Production Manager :

Arnaud Houdmont, Generation Europe Foundation

Media Integration :

Sandy McLean, Partner FutureWork Forum

Advisors:

Gran Hultin, Partner FutureWork Forum

Richard Savage, Partner FutureWork Forum

Principal Sponsor :

Manpower Inc

With thanks to Generation Europe Foundations Partners and Youth

Ambassadors and in particular to Epp Adler in Estonia, Judit Boros in

Hungary, Flavio Conti in Belgium, Anastasia Ghika in Greece, Chiara

Palieri in Italy, Lenka Petrkov in Czech Republic and Marcin Senderski

in Poland.


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3

Highlights

The most important thing to remember about the survey sample is that

were dealing here with the smartest of the NEXT generation. These are

the ones with the college and university educations. If they are worried,everyone else should be too. Most interesting perhaps is the fact that this

best and brightest bunch of young people are not fooled by what their

so-called elders and betters have done for them. They know that we are

not doing a very good job in getting them into the right jobs. Heres what

they think:

They are very, very worried about their inability to get meaningful, valid

work experience. As one put it No experience = No job. No job = No

experience. The one thing that needs to happen is a real long, hard

look at how potential employers can be encouraged and motivated to

change this vicious circle.

Career advisory services dont work. They are either non-existent or,

perhaps worse, irrelevant. Career counsellors are out of touch and

dont understand the expectations and needs of todays employers.

This area needs a complete, drastic rethink.

Schools, colleges and universities still persist in turning out graduates

qualied to do jobs that have already vanished and will never come

back. Educators need to change their curriculums to be relevant to the

employment needs of the real world. Most importantly, these smart

NEXT generation people are nally understanding that a lot of what

they are being taught has no practical application in getting them

employed.

A lot of frustrated NEXT generation graduates are giving up on

mainstream employment and considering the other option working

for themselves. But this throws up another set of issues around how

can they be funded to give it a try. Again governments faced with

massive youth employment need to think creatively and positively

about this space.

Finally, these hard times mean that the NEXT generation isnt tooworried about what kind of company they work for, or what sort of work

conditions they have. They just want to earn some money and perhaps

hope for some future job prospects. These people are growing up fast

in a hard, unforgiving labour market. The question is, can we nd jobs

for them to do ? And if we cant what then ?


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4

However, many students felt that there was only one language that

counted English. Theres little doubt that amongst the NEXT generation

an excellent grasp of the English language is seen as a huge plus point,

vastly improving chances of getting a job.

Lets Hear It for the Volunteers

With work experience the number one concern of the NEXT generation

how to get that experience occupies a lot of student time. And while the

majority would like to be paid (a decent amount it should be added) for

their labours, there was a strong feeling that as a last resort volunteering

(working for free) was perhaps the only way to get that hard-to-nd work

experience. Said one respondent, We know employers dont want to pay

for people with no experience, but they may well be happy to get a free

pair of hands. Added another from Germany, Volunteering seems to

make both sides happy. Employers get a bargain and the volunteer gets

the experience they so really need to progress and get a full-time job.

As I see it, the key soluon to gaining work experience is

volunteering.

Student, Armenia

Let Me do what I Like

In every piece of research, there are always one or two people who push

against the prevailing trends. While the vast majority of our sample were

seeing the need to be very specic in training for tomorrows jobs others

were still hopeful that it would all work out OK. A female student from

Estonia spoke for this vocal minority when she commented, People

should be encouraged to study whatever they want, because Imabsolutely sure that whenever people do something they truly like they

do it as well as possible.

Nice thoughts. Sadly as the majority of the NEXT generation have already

discovered the world isnt working out that way.

Employing the NEXT GeneraonThe Right Skills in the Right Placeat the Right Time

The sample

Young people (between the ages of 19 and 29) were recruited by the

Generation Europe Foundation and interviewed either using paper

questionnaires or on line, between April and June 2010. 7,062 responses

were received. 95% were aged 18-30. 62% were female and 38% male.

Of these 50% were students, 12% unemployed, 9% part-time employed,

24% full-time employed. (The remaining 5% replied other, probably

indicating some combination of these categories, e.g. student + part-

time employed.) It should be taken into account that several countries

dominated the results notably Greece, Italy and Hungary. However,although these countries made up a majority of the overall sample, returns

from other countries made it a viable sample that allowed us to draw

overall conclusions about the expectations and attitudes of this NEXT

generation. There is a complete country breakdown in the Appendix

section at the back of the report.

The Language of Success

More emphasis on learning languages in school was a popular must have

theme from respondents (especially those in Europe). Everyone needs

to speak three or four languages to ensure their ability to be employed in

different places at different times, was a common suggestion.

It is essenal for every young person in the EU to speak at least three

or four languages to ensure they can get a sustainable, meaningful

job.

22-year-old, Hungary


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5

National differences

The numbers considering their prospects of nding a meaningful job to be

poor vary from country to country, reecting in part though not entirely

the prevailing economic conditions in different regions at the time of the

survey. Among the countries for which we have enough responses to

analyse, the most pessimistic is Italy, the most optimistic Estonia.

Prospect of nding a meaningful job(Current levels of youth unemployment are shown

for comparison.)

Country Percentage considering

their job prospects to be

poor (0 or 1)

Youth

Unemployment*

% %

Italy 22 28

Greece 14 281

Czech. Rep. 12 22

UK 9 201

Spain 8 41

Poland 8 23

Hungary 7 28

France 7 22

Germany 5 10

Belgium 5 25

Estonia 3 321

* Source: Eurostat:February 2010 - under-25s1 December 2009

It is clear that the NEXT Generation see themselves as untypical of

youth in general. Except in Italy, and to a lesser extent Greece, the Czech

Republic and the UK, they see themselves as much more employable

than the average youth unemployment levels (see graph above) would

suggest they should expect. This is understandable: they were recruited

for the survey from among the educational elite of Europe.

Employment prospects

Less than one-third think their prospects of nding a meaningful job are

good and 14% think them poor. Just over half of the NEXT Generation

takes a middling position, unsure of their future prospects.

How good do you consider your job prospects

in securing a meaningful job ? (5 = excellent / 0 = very poor)

3,6%

10,2%

19,2%

35,1%

24,3%

7,6%

0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0% 35,0% 40,0%

0

1

2

3

4

5


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6

Is the NEXT Generation being given the tools

and guidance it needs to prepare it for the

employment market ?

Skills and experience

Less than one-third of the NEXT Generation believe they were (or are

currently being) denitely given the required skills at school / college.

One in six of them believe they have not been given the right skills, the

majority being somewhat uncertain (see graph below).

Do you think you were given the required skills at school/college

to nd and hold onto a sustainable job in the present employment

market ? (5 = yes, very much so / 0 = not at all)

National differences are signicant. The number believing

they are missing out on preparation for the employment

market (0 or 1 out of 5) are particularly high in Italy and

Greece, and lowest in Germany and the UK.

Gender differences

Gender differences were signicant

across the different countries.

This is in spite of similar levels of education,

and broadly similar experiences at school

and college of skills training and career

guidance. The difference may possibly

reect the much-discussed decline in

morale and relative performance among

young men in recent years. But it may

also reect differences in expectations: Do men still expect, or at least

hope for, more meaning than women from their jobs ? Are women more

willing, or resigned, to accept a lower-level job as meaningful ?

A sustainable and meaningful job is work that helps young people

realise their full potenal, making them understand that they canwork independently anywhere without the fear of job insecurity.

Student , Cambodia

4,5%

11,4%

21,0%

32,3%

23,2%

7,5%

0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0% 35,0%

0

1

2

3

4

5

Gender Percentage

considering

their job prospects

to be

poor (0 or 1)

%

Female 14

Male 24

I believe the real problem is that we

only learn in school, but lack real world

experiences. Student, Sweden


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7

Further evidence for this analysis is that, among those of them who have in

the past been turned down for a

job, insufcient qualications

is given as the reason a quarter

of them (17.5% of by the total

sample). Lack of experience is

the main reason, given by over

half of those who had been

turned down.

What are the reasons you have been turned down for a job ?

5,3%

17,5%18,3%

30,5%

40,2%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

40,0%

45,0%

Other Insufficient

Qualificaons

Don't know I have never been

turned down

Lack of

experience

This points to work experience rather than formal education or training

solutions, and to the urgent need to increase the involvement of employers

and employer-organisations in preparing young people for the workplace.

CountryPercentage NOT given

the required skills (0 or 1)

Percentage considering

their job prospects to be

poor (0 or 1)

% %

Italy 22 22

Greece 21 14

Czech. Rep. 10 12

UK 6 9

Spain 13 8

Poland 16 8

Hungary 8 7

France 13 7

Germany 6 5

Belgium 13 5

Estonia 9 3

There is a message here foreducation policy makers: hands-

on work experience could go

some way in addressing the skills

gap that prevents young people

from landing a rst job.

However, the correlation between poor skills preparation and job prospects

is less than perfect. For example, the NEXT Generation in France,

Spain, Belgium and Poland are among the most critical of their school/

college experience, but relatively optimistic about job prospects. On this

evidence, it will not be enough

to improve the provision of

relevant skills much of the

problem lays elsewhere, i.e.

in the job markets themselves,

or perhaps, as we shall see

below, in the poor career

guidance that most of them

have received.

The problem for us is a lackof guidance throughout the

educaon process.

23-year-old, Finland

Universies need to be

acvely creang opportunies

for their students to apply

what they have learned.

Graduate, USA

Career guidance services dont inform students properly. They

try to nd people a profession they like, but dont menon

anything about job prospects.

Student, Greece

Employers are more aracted

to work experience than to

their university degree.

24-year-old, Italy


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8

Do you / did you have a career guidance service

at your university/school ?

7%

11%

6%7%

10%

3%2%

5%

10%

8%

10%

22%

43%42%

23%

30%

52%51%

52%

20%

23%

13%

36%

28%29%

30%31% 31%

15%

33%

37%

33%

39%

35%

19%

22%

40%

28%

15%

31%

10%

33%

38%39%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Belgium CzechRepublic

Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Poland Spain UK

No, and I would not use it anyway No, but I would find it useful Yes, but it is not useful Yes, and it is useful

This is a wake-up call not only to schools, colleges and education policy

makers, but also to employers and employer-organisations, who should

be persuaded to make more effort to work with them to ll the career

guidance gaps, as well offering more work experience.

What the Sample Said

As the statistics suggest, two big issues dominate the views of the survey

respondents:

No help with career guidance

A struggle to nd meaningful work experience

Career guidance

The levels of skills provisions are lower than would be ideal. But the

levels of career guidance given are a great deal worse. The chart below

represents a serious indictment of the way career guidance is, or more

often is not, provided. Only half the NEXT Generation say they have been

offered a career guidance service at their school or university and, of

these, only 40% say it has been useful.

Meanwhile most of those who have not had such a service, wish it had

been available to them.

Do you / did you have a career guidance service

at your university/school ?

5,4%

19,8%

29,3%

45,5%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

40,0%

45,0%

50,0%

No, and I would not

use it anyway

Yes, and it is useful Yes, but it is not

useful

No, but I would

find it useful

There are two clear messages for educators:

1. Provide a careers guidance service. This applies to alleducational

establishments from which students may enter the world of work.

2. Do it a lot better than at present.

The national differences are telling, and Italy and Greece are conrmed

as the countries with the biggest hill to climb to make this work. But none

of the countries surveyed appears to be consistently getting it right.


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9

There were hundreds of similar comments, reecting the fact that career

guidance is an area where the educational establishment consistently

fails to meet the needs of the 21st Century marketplace.

Work Experience

If you are lucky enough to get some advice on the kind of jobs that are

most in demand (and therefore might be smart to train for) the next big

hurdle for the NEXT generation is getting experience. This is the tough

one. With unemployment rates at historic highs, nding employers who

want to take on young graduates and high school leavers is extremely

hard.

Indeed, one pragmatic female student from Italy created what could be

regarded as the NEXT generations formula:

No experience = No job / No job = No experience

This Catch-22situation was echoed by a Czech student who commented,

The main problem with employing the NEXT generation consists of thisfatal loop : You cant get a job which youre qualied for without experience

and nobody gives you a chance to gain any experience because you

dont have any previous experience !

Yes, its a vicious circle that currently seems to be spinning out of control.

Time and again our sample reported that the barrier between them and a

job was that elusive work experience. Without that prospective employers

had no interest. As one Hungarian graduate commented, Employers

dont want to spend time and money on teaching fresh graduates.

One solution to the experience issue was proposed by an Estonian

student. It would be good if, for example, two days per school yearstudents would have the chance to choose one profession and be a

work shadow to someone who is doing the job. This would give them

the opportunity to see how different jobs work in practice.

Career Guidance

Not only did many of our respondents claim that there was little or no

guidance from their school, college or university, they also pointed out

that where there was some sort of advice available it was either out of

date or just plain useless.

In the essay section of the survey, where respondents were encouragedto write in their views, a vast majority took the opportunity to explain

that career services for students were often not at all relevant to the

current marketplace. As one Greek student commented, The career

guidance services are not informing students correctly. They try to help

people choose professions they like, but they dont say anything about

job prospects. As a result many students get their degree and become

unemployed, because there are no jobs for their skills.

Said another from Spain, Universities should give students the knowledge

that the market needs, and not retrain them in unimportant things. And

another added, we need career guidance early on from the school, so we

can shape our education to meet real market needs.

More damning comments on the parlous state of career services included:

Most of the universities give far too much theoretical preparation and

too little preparation about how to face the real world of work !

Most students dont know anything about the business world and how

to get the right preparation for job interviews

Since I experienced the great difference between reality in my job

and the theory that I was taught at university I would suggest having a

eld study, practical experience as an obligatory part of the process.

Too many times I hear people lamenting after they graduate that they

had to learn almost everything again at the work place, because the

knowledge they got at university (or high school) was useless.

Universities can do a better job of career advice. Many students still

dont know what they want to do when they graduate. So, the more

options you have, the more exible you become. This poses a real risk

for would-be employers who wants to invest in a person who can

change his mind tomorrow ?


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10

Rules and Regulations

Many students and recent graduates have the big brother solution

let governments take care of it by making new laws that either force

employers to take on a certain percentage of their workforce as new hires

or pay employers to offer work experience. Suggestions included:

There should be some kind of positive discrimination in favour ofyoung people such as quotas.

Tax breaks for companies that employ young people.

EU member countries should create a programme like ERASMUS,

not for students but for young employees.

The EU could adopt a law that would oblige companies with a large

number of employees to have a quota of young people with no work

experience, but with the right qualications.

Provide job placement programmes for the rst two years after your

studies.

Make it a legal requirement that a certain percentage of employees in

any company must be between the ages of 18 and 30. The state must intervene to provide even after leaving full-time

education training courses at affordable prices.

At the regional or national level it would be useful to provide wage

subsidies in order to encourage employers to hire youth and help

them gain that work experience.

Additionally, it seems that the whole world of the NEXT generation wants

a giant Europe-wide (or even global) data-base that they can easily plug

into to come up with that ever elusive job no matter where it may be

(more on mobility later in this report).

Whether in these exceedingly tough economic times there are anythoughts by hard-pressed governments that throwing money at this issue

is a sensible route to take is most unlikely. However, the idea of tax breaks

for hiring job seekers does have its supporters. Also, if governments are

to provide the public and private sectors with a NEXT generation of talent

they need to make sure it is available when needed and fully up-to-speed.

But even if you do get taken

on for some kind of internship,

theres no guarantee that

the experience will be all

that useful. We often hear

about young graduates who

spend internships makingphotocopies and delivering

coffee. Whats the use of that ?

argued a student from The Netherlands.

Added another from Bulgaria, An internship is part of our university

programme, but very often we just end up being exploited and learning

nothing. He went on, I was required to buy water for the entire ofce, go

to the post ofce, put stamps on

envelopes which of course had

nothing to do with my skills as a

translator !

This feeling of being used and

learning nothing was a recurring

theme in the essays from a wide

variety of graduates.

What Needs to be Done

So, if it all comes down to experience, whats to be done ? How do we

marry up the bright graduate work-force of the NEXT generation with

those that will give them a job ? From our sample there were three ways

out of this current quandary:

Create legislation to make it happen

Re-educate the educators

Make the private sector more involved at an early stage

... an internship is a good

starng point, but drasc

changes in the way interns are

treated and trained must be

made.

23-year-old, Bulgaria

More aenon should be

paid to praccal educaon

for internships, not just

coee-making for your work

colleagues.

Student, Hungary


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11

The Role of the Private Sector

Many of our commentators felt that only by getting government, educators

and the private sector working better together could the problems of

NEXT generation employment be fully addressed. As A Nigerian student

sensibly pointed out, We must align academia closely with industry.

Making strategic efforts to constantly align school curricula with industry

needs will help to ensure that young graduates are really employable.Employment difculties arise when the youth is highly skilled in an area

that industry isnt really interested in.

Another suggested that, Collaboration between governments and

multinational companies is necessary for solving youth employment

problems. They added, Two or three month internships should be

offered to students so that students can realise what their real skills are.

Commented another job seeker from Greece, Companies should be a

lot more present in schools and universities, engaging directly with the

students to build early relationships.

Mixing the private sector and educators, not to mention government, has

achieved some successes over the years. But with many companies

wary of adding staff or any kind at the present, there are unlikely to be

many new initiates in this area.

One thing that surprised both the FutureWork Forum partners and the

Generation Europe Foundation was that not a single respondent to

our essay competition raised the issue of temporary, interim, part time

or job sharing work placement. Maybe there is something in that to be

investigated.

The Role of the Educational Establishment

Theres a huge amount of criticism aimed at the educational establishment

by the NEXT generation throughout our survey. Most of this comes from

the simple fact that they are still teaching and training students for jobs that

simply dont exist or are facing

major cuts in numbers. Time

and again in the survey resultswe have students and recent

graduates calling for a major

overhaul of the educational

establishment in their country.

Doesnt seem to matter where

you live and learn everyones

doing a pretty lousy job in matching real job needs to the qualication of

the graduates being turned out onto the street.

Some comments included:

Many universities have career centres. However, a good deal ofthem dont operate well enough as they are not an integral part of

the system. I think that all centres should be assessed and examined

on a regular basis so that their work really ensures good results by

assisting both students and business.

University programmes should change to better t the needs of the

market. Its useless spending years studying and then be unemployed

for years.

Other pointed out that there was very little practical help on offer to help

students face up to the real world outside the college campus. Help in

creating attractive CVs, job applications and practical life-skills would be

most appreciated. Recent graduates reported arriving at jobs being totallyunequipped for the world of work.

Whether educators are able to make the changes necessary to turn out

graduates that have a real job to go to remains to be seen. But there is little

doubt that students the world over view those that plan their futures from

the classroom and lecture hall need to go back to school themselves and

get a good grounding in practical economics that reect todays realities.

Instuons should analyse

the demands of the labour

market and design their

courses on that basis.

Student, Azerbaijan


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12

How do you usually look for job openings ?

2,1%

3,3%

13,8%

21,8%

22,0%

43,5%

53,2%

54,0%

74,5%

0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0% 70,0% 80,0%

Other

No idea

Job fairs

Job agencies

Career office

Newspapers

Online job boards

Family / Relaons / Friends

Web sites

Traditional job fairs and agencies are relatively little used. Newspapers

are more widely used, but still by less than half of the NEXT generation.

The implication for employers is that, in order to recruit the top talent

that they need, they should make full use of on-line facilities, also of the

afnity-group and viral marketing methods which successful marketing

organisations already use to great effect. It is also clear that most of the

NEXT generation visit several of these places the average is 2.9 places

per person. Employers will probably want to be present in as many of the

places as possible.

There are differences between the countries. For example, over 90% visit

web sites in Germany and Greece, only 47% in Poland, where family

and friends are much more likely to be used to nd jobs. These national

differences need to be built into employers recruitment strategies.

Approaches to job-seeking

The top two places where young people set about nding jobs for

themselves are also the places where employers go looking for them.

On line: web sites and job boards

Networking through families and friendsA total of 75% and 53% of the respondents respectively consult web sites

and job boards when looking for a job. Family and friends personal

networks come a very close second with 54% of respondents looking

for jobs via these close connections. Newspapers come 4th.

As far as our sample is concerned, job agencies, career ofces and job

fairs are not popular at all among job seekers.

Manpower : Sponsoring the NEXT Generation

Manpower, as the sponsor of our NEXT Generation study, is ideally placed to comment on

how we get young people into the workforce. Heres their view of what the NEXT Generation

need to work on to land those elusive jobs.

Heres a statistic to think about. About one million young people (technically termed fulltime

equivalents : FTEs) in the age group 15-26 go through private employment agencies in

Europe alone every year. Almost a third of these, an average of 320 thousand (FTE) takesup assignments of one to six month duration and an estimated 380 thousand (FTE) take

temporary work assignments while in education. Manpower - as a leading private employment

agency - recognises reality and does not expect young people to necessarily have the required

experience that some employers seem to expect.

Manpowers own experiences at putting young people to work all over the world show that, in

addition to the generic skills like computer literacy, they attach greater importance to the so

called soft skills of young job seekers. These include :

how they present themselves,

how they communicate,

how they project self-condence.

Also the expectations and attitudes are important: is it just a job and perhaps some money

that they need, or do they already know what they want to do and why; will they be committed,

engage themselves in a workplace and seek to make a contribution as members of a work

team?

Wise words from an organization that does this for a job!


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13

Willingness to cross national borders

This sample of the NEXT Generation is more keen to nd work close to

home than further aeld. This seems strange, especially as they seem

very concerned about getting meaningful job experiences and learning

to speak other languages. Also it is a change from our survey four years

ago, where it looked as though the Europeans at least had embraced the

concept of cross-border working.

Where do you look for job openings ?

13,9%

17,7%

20,8%

26,8%

34,8%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

Anywhere in the

world

Anywhere in my

country

Anywhere in the EU Regionally Locally

The national differences are signicant. The most globally adventurous

are the Italians and Spaniards, where youth unemployment is very high,

but even in these countries only around a quarter say they would look for

job openings anywhere in the world.

The EU is the preferred employment location for the French, Germans,

Spaniards and British. The most stay-at-home are the Eastern Europeans:

Czechs and Poles most of all.

How do you usually look for job openings ?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Belgium

Czech Republic

Estonia

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Poland

Spain

UK

w eb si te s r el a on s o nl in e j ob b oa rd s n ew sp ap er s j ob a ge nc ie s c ar ee r o ffic e j ob f ai rs

I am travelling to improve my

English and my employability.

23-year-old, Czech Republic


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14

Are you prepared to leave your country to nd the right kind of job,

if necessary on a permanent basis ?

5,6%

20,1%

41,9%

32,4%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%40,0%

45,0%

Definitely not Probably not Probably Definitely

So, many of the NEXT generation are looking for jobs close to home, but

would probably be willing to look further aeld if necessary. We mighthave expected that, in todays difcult employment climate, more of them

would have started to explore the international options more proactively.

What is holding them back ?

Perhaps it is because many of them feel governments are not doing

enough to make cross-border employment possible for young people:

two-thirds of the NEXT generation denitely think governments are

probably or denitely not doing enough.

Most respondents who supported the idea of cross-border working felt

that it needed to be backed by some type of national or EU government

support. The creation of a Europe-wide clearing house for jobs was a

popular concept. However, there were few suggestions that job-seekers

should just go and nd out what opportunities were like in other nations

they shied strongly away from that sort of overt activity.

Where do you look for job openings ?

37%

44%

44%

42%

17%

27%

36%

34%

44%

20%

28%

44%

42%

17%

27%

36%

34%

44%

46%

46%

48%

58%

20%

24%

13%

27%

10%

39%

27%

23%

27%

23%

23%

6%

27%

8%

29%

29%

27%

31%

20%

45%

39%

21%

3%

19%

20%

10%

11%

18%

28%

9%

25%

13%

23%

Belgium

Czech Republic

Estonia

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Poland

Spain

UK

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Locally Regionally Naonally EU World

BUT three-quarter of them would be prepared to leave their country

permanently for the right job.


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15

Do you think enough is being done (by governments)

to make cross-border employment possible for young people ?

11%

4%

8%

23%

15%

4%

9%

3%

9%

15%

19%

11%

18%

8%

8%

7%

36%

5%

35%

16%

8%

10%

46%

23%

41%

45%

40%

20%

61%

17%

33%

38%

39%

32%

55%

44%

23%

37%

40%

25%

45%

42%

40%

32%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Belgium

Czech Republic

Estonia

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Poland

Spain

UK

Definitely Definitely not Probably Probably not

Do you think enough is being done (by governments)

to make cross-border employment possible for young people ?

5,9%

23,8%

29,5%

40,8%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

40,0%

45,0%

Definitely not Definitely Probably Probably not

Message to European leaders: the NEXT Generation seems to have

narrow horizons. Can national governments be persuaded to helpbroaden them ?

The national differences are very marked, reecting some combination of

the extent of government activity in each country and the expectations of

the individuals.


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16

This is conrmed by the reasons they give for turning down job offers.

Money heads the list.

What are the reasons you have turned down a job oer ?

3,6%

6,4%

8,6%

9,5%

13,7%

17,0%

21,6%

22,6%

26,3%

33,5%

0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0% 35,0%

Other

I did not feel qualified

I did not like the people I met at theinterview

It was a short-term contract

Too far away / long commute

The job turned out to be uninteresng

No development possible

I was offered a beer opportunity elsewhere

I have never turned down a job offer

Insufficient financial offer

In all the countries, an insufcient nancial offer was the main reason

for turning down a job offer, closely followed by the offer of a better

opportunity elsewhere.

The countries are nearly unanimous about their ve priorities when looking

for a job: a good salary, career perspective / evolution, a meaningful job,

learning / training opportunities and life-work balance. The only country

where money did not come out on top was Czech Republic, wherepeople thought it more important to have a meaningful job. And the only

country that did not include all ve of the above-mentioned priorities was

Germany, where Company Ethics and Goals crept in as the 5 th priority.

The message to recruiters is that your organisations sector, goals and

values do not matter much to them, so talk less about yourselves and

What the NEXT Generation wants

When it comes to wants and needs the 2010 survey differs from the one

carried out in 2006. In those pre-economic meltdown days there was a

lot of soul-searching by the NEXT generation. Choices like only working

for ethical companies and wanting to make a contribution to society

ranked high.

What a difference a few years make. Now, in every country except one,

its all about the money and career prospects.

What really matters are, in rank order:

Money

The job: career prospects, a meaningful job, work-life balance,

stability

The employer organisation: what is it is and does, the sector, size, its

ethics and reputation.

When looking for a job, what really maers to you ?Please rank your 5 main criteria.

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000

Company size (MNC vs. SME)

Scope (Internaonal vs. naonal)

Sector (private vs. public)

Company name & reputaon

Company ethics and goals

Possibility to travel

A sustainable job

Stability

Learning / training opportunies

Life work balance

A meaningful job

Career perspecve / evoluon

A good salary


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17

Respondents from Belgium, Spain, the UK and France show the most

reluctance to set up as a freelance or self-employed person. The countries

with the most entrepreneurial spirit were Estonia, Italy and Hungary.

The message for employers is: 70% will consider working for themselves,

so design jobs where the best can be self-employed - and self-motivated

- within your organisation. This may well be a viable way to providemeaning in employment, and go some way to overcome the difculties

presented by the NEXT generations focus on nancial reward.

From our essay writers, much of the eagerness to go-it-alone stemmed

from the frustration of being turned down by prospective employers as

well as a feeling that they could do things better themselves.

But most also felt that to

encourage young people to go

and work for themselves some

type of tax incentive needed to

be available at least until they

built a reputation.

Going further down that line,

the idea of creating some

type of micro-credit system

was mentioned by several

graduates.

Added to that, several of our respondents suggested that there should

be college education courses that teach entrepreneurism (or part-time

courses that would concentrate on the basics of creating a business).

more about the candidates,

their aims, their concerns, their

expectations. And if you cannot

be among the remaining few

organisations able to offer top

starting salaries, then focus

on career development andwhatever will make the job

seem meaningful to them.

How Entrepreneurial ?

There is an alternative to getting a job - working for yourself. Would

Europes NEXT generation consider this option ? The answer is Yes for

two-thirds of them.

Would you consider working for yourself / freelance ?

6,5%

12,5% 13,4%

43,2%

24,4%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

40,0%

45,0%

Definitely ProbablyProbably not, because

I would be afraid to

do so

Probably not, because

I wouldnt know

where to start

Definitely not

Micro credits can be part of

the soluon. Nowadays the

young the major source

of innovaon, energy andcreavity oen lack access

to credit.

Student, Czech Republic

Tax reducon for the businesses of young people and zero VAT

for a year or two.

Young entrepreneur, Germany

Im trying to build my own

company which focuses on

young people and will hire

only young people.

22-year-old, Norway


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18

Micro-credit can be part of the solution to give them the nances they

need to get started otherwise they wait and wait for someone else

to employ them.

Career counsellors should not just offer advice on how to get a job,

but how to establish a small business after graduating from university.

Investing in the companies of young people can create new work

places. Usually, young companies tend to take on other young people

so it begins a virtuous circle.

All the employers told me Im lacking work experience. So now Im

building my own company which focuses on young people and in the

future I will hire only young people under 25 year-old. Im 22 at the

moment.

Here are some comments from the front line:

For meaningful jobs to be created, economies have to become more

competitive open to innovation and entrepreneurship. Universities

should also play a role by prom ting innovation and entrepreneurship.

It would be useful if independent organisations could encourage

young people to build their own businesses. They could provide us

with useful advice and funds to that young people can become their

own boss. The organisations that help out could take their money

invested back over a period of time.

It is self-employment and small company start-ups that must be used

as the vehicle for innovation and youth employment.

There will be a need for governments and major donor organisations

to focus their priorities and channel their funding towards supporting

young innovative entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.

Coping with bureaucracy is really hard, too oen students

graduate with no idea how to make an invoice, pay taxes the

praccal things.

Student, Italy


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19

Wed also like to offer a nal word of thanks to our sponsor Manpower

Inc. Without them we couldnt have put this all together. Furthermore,

we hope that by pointing out the seeming lack of student and graduateawareness of the interim work industry it has given them some food for

thought that they may be missing out on some very real not to mention

eager talent.

For updates on FutureWork Forum events, research and publications

go to: www.futureworkforum.com

For news and views from Generation Europe Foundation go to:

www.generation-europe.eu

Where do we go from here ?

From the perspective of the FutureWork Forum and Generation Europe

Foundation, this research project has certainly opened our eyes and given

us some insights into the hopes and the fears of the NEXT generation.We hope that some of our conclusions, data and examples will give you

an opportunity to think in a different way about youth employment and the

challenges it poses.

The FutureWork Forum will continue as will Generation Europe

Foundation to seek out the opinions of this NEXT generation, with the

intention of carrying out another survey project in the near future.

As part of that - and in keeping with our mission - the FutureWork Forum will be

considering these ndings and publishing our own series of recommendations

(early in 2011) We hope that these will go some way to stimulate action from

governments, international institutions and others to address some of these

very real and very worrying concerns. The NEXT generation is our future aswell as theirs and we need to pay attention to that.


22/32



20

The need for career-counsellor reform in schools, colleges and

universities and how that needs to work to meet the changed economic

circumstances of the world we live and work in.

A root and branch reform of our creaking and not very effective

education systems. Giving young people the opportunity to train for

jobs that will be in demand after they graduate.

Of course, where there are winners, there has to be a prize and this

one was pretty good. We invited the three winners to Brussels Europes

capital to be guests of the Generation Europe Foundation and the

FutureWork Forum. They also were invited to speak (on the subject of

their winning essay) at the European Employment Forum in Brussels.

Something we hope leads to not only a memorable experience but some

very useful contacts in the months and years to come !

The Essays

We are always delighted by the enthusiasm that our NEXT generation

surveys and essay competitions generate. More than that we are

overwhelmed with the quality, inventiveness and ideas of those thatchoose to take part. This competition was an especially tough assignment

and we extremely grateful to all the participants who sent in an essay.

Judging our winners wasnt easy. In fact it took a panel of us a day of

working our way through a shortlist of candidates to nally agree on the

nal three essays. The winners all showed a real maturity in their writing,

exceptional use of English and excellent concept development.

What we were looking for was some original thought that would not just

parrot popular themes around youth employment, but offer something

more than that. In these three winners we have three different ideas:

The idea that micro-credits, so successful in the economies ofdeveloping countries, could be used as a launch-pad to get more young

people working for themselves and eventually creating employment

for others.


23/32



21

Fourthly, again at EU level, stimulus packages and schemes should

be created towards fostering the creation of small and medium-sized

enterprises. Furthermore, special funds and commissions may be created

which would allocate funds to graduates and undergraduates with smart

and bright ideas... Additionally, programmes like Erasmus internships

should be extended so that they cover a wider range of activity. Because,

if young people are given the opportunities to intern abroad and travel,of course they would have the incentives to study foreign languages and

undertake the principles of life-long learning.

Last but not least, employers and companies which provide supplementary

training, coaching and interning for undergraduates should be made

eligible for some additional tax relief. In any case, businesses should be

encouraged to involve students at all levels to participate in real business

dealings.

Martin Dechev from Bulgaria,

born in 1986

Firstly, the educational system in many European Union (EU) member

states is not working efciently enough. I have personally observed this

reality in both Bulgaria and Romania. As far as I am acquainted through

friends, other countries also have similar problems namely, students

do not study what they really need for real-life working; emphasis is

predominantly on lectures, and so forth. Thus, I reckon that, at the EU

level, institutions should work towards establishing certain, relatively high

academic standards in close cooperation with the private sector. Like

this, university education will actually correspond to business needs.

Secondly, especially now amid the present economic turmoil, both

graduates and especially undergraduates should be half-motivated,

half-obliged to participate in semi-voluntary engagements if they cannot

nd a job but are eligible for unemployment benets. In other words, such

people should be given this money only if they participate in some social

and/or voluntary activities.

Many universities have career centres. However, too many of them do

not operate well enough as they are not an integral part of student life.

I think that all these centres should be examined and assessed on aregular basis by both governmental and non-governmental organisations

so that their work really ensures good results by assisting both students

and businesses.


24/32



22

Thus, these micronance institutions should not only lend money but also

act as incubators, allowing these new business options to reach a certain

density and size by connecting them to local resources (local recruitment,

mentors, distribution channels, access to capital etc) and [putting them

together them in clusters. In this way they can combine the advantages

of a large enterprise (e.g. economies of scale in purchasing, production,

advertising and so forth) with the strengths of the small-scale ones, like

motivation, high level of commitment and knowledge of the local area. In

particular, I believe that young social entrepreneurs are the ones who more

than others should be encouraged, as they nd solutions to meet unmet

social needs through market-based mechanisms in a sustainable way.

Europe should especially invest on these prot/non prot entrepreneurs,

enabling them to scale up and multiply. They are the future !

Sara Marini from Italy,

born in 1985

In my opinion the key is creating new employment possibilities and, for

that, microcredit can be part of the solution. Nowadays the paradox is

that the young, who are the major source of innovation, energy, creativity

and vitality, often lack access to credit. So even if they have a high level

of education and innovative ideas that work, they cannot transform them

into legitimate business activities.

Therefore, they wait for someone else to employ them, remain

unemployed and their potential is completely missed by themselves and

their community. This is why the existence of micronance institutions,

coordinated at a European level can be crucial, so that young people

can have nancial means to become their own bosses and by doing so

generate opportunities and jobs for not-entrepreneurial people as well.

However, incentivizing the creation of these enterprises led by young

people is not enough; in fact, as long as they remain too small and

isolated they are not capable to create more jobs, take up opportunities

and make a real impact.


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23

I think the era of learning everything by heart is pass the kids should

learn where to nd the information they need and to be able to use

their knowledge in practice. School programs should be orientated to

develop pupils individual potentials and skills. High school and university

programs should always follow the working markets needs. To achieve

this, they should collaborate with companies and various institutions and

offer the possibility to their students to have work experience every yearin a real company.

This will allow them to gain some working experiences, let the future

employers have employees with the exact knowledge and skills they

require. The schools which would be the most successful in that should

get more funds from the State. Im convinced that the society which will

reform its educational system in that direction will become the leading

economic force in the world, because apart of the well formed employees

it will have individuals with fresh ideas to constantly develop its economy.

Denisa Kesten from Slovenia,

born in 1981

I think that the key to better employment opportunities for youth lies in the

reform of the educational program of our society, which despite the fast

changing pave of todays world is still commonly fossilized. Just compare

the classrooms of the 19th century with todays.

There is still a table where the teacher writes in front of the pupils so our

methods of teaching didnt change much ! The students have still to learnalmost everything by heart rarely its required from them to present their

own projects where they developed their own ideas or actively participate

in a debate. Also the educational program does not prepare freshly

graduated students adequately for the job they were studying for.

Too many times I have heard people lamenting that after their graduation

they had to learn almost everything all over again at the workplace,

because the knowledge they received at university (or high school) was

useless. Why ? Because, in practice, the work they were going to do

was totally different from how they were taught and it required some

knowledge that they really didnt have. Already in kindergarten children

should learn to improve their creativity and to develop their personal skills

(see Daniel Golemans Emotional intelligence). That learning should be

continued in the elementary school. Later, in the secondary school pupils

should already be motivated to develop their own projects.


26/32



24

Appendix 1 - Quesonnaire

Part II - Employing the NEXT Generation

The Right Skills ? The Right Place ?

The Right Time ?

Win a free trip to Brussels !

Are you 19 to 29 years old ? If so, how does your generation perceive the challenges ahead and what are your

expectations as new or future employees ?

Wed be grateful if you could complete this short survey. It should only take a couple of minutes.

Win a free trip: By completing this survey and answering the optional question at the end (400 words max) you could

win a free trip to Brussels - the capital of Europe - to meet the movers and shakers at the forthcoming Employment

Week Forum on 24-25 November 2010. If you want to be eligible for this great opportunity, please leave us your

contact details at the end of the survey and send us your views.

Thank you and good luck.


27/32



25

9) 3. Do you / did you have a career guidance service at your university/

school ?

m Yes, and it is useful

m Yes but it is not useful

m No, but I would nd it useful

m No, and I would not use it anyway

10) 4. How do you usually look for job openings ?

qWeb sites q Family/relations/friends

q Online job boards q Newspapers

q Job agencies q Career ofce

q Job fairs q No idea

q Other (please specify)

If you selected other, please specify: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11) 5. Where do you look for job openings ?

q Locally q Regionally

q Anywhere in my country q Anywhere in the EU

q Anywhere in the world

12) 6. Are you prepared to leave your country to nd the right kind of job,

if necessary on a permanent basis ?

m Denitely m Probably

m Probably not m Denitely not

13) 7. Do you think enough is being done (by governments) to make

cross-border employment possible for young people ?

m Denitely m Probably

m Probably not m Denitely not

14) 8. What are the reasons you have been turned down for a job ?

q Lack of experience q Insufcient qualications

q I have never been turned down

q Dont know



Survey

1) Gender

m Female m Male

2) Year of birth: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3) Country of Residence: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4) Nationality : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5) Current Occupation

m Studying m Unemployed

m Employed (Part-time) m Employed (Full-time)

m Other (please specify)


6) Highest level of studies achieved / Currently studying

m Secondary School m Undergraduate

m Graduate m Postgraduate

m Other (please specify)


7) 1. How good do you consider your job prospects in securing a

meaningful job ? (5 = excellent / 0 = very poor)

m 5 m 4 m 3 m 2 m 1 m 0

8) 2. Do you think you were given the required skills at school/college

to nd and hold onto a sustainable job in the present employment

market ? (5 = yes, very much so / 0 = not at all)

m 5 m 4 m 3 m 2 m 1 m 0


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26

18) 12. Finally, in a maximum of 400 words in English explain your own

ideas for solving youth employment in Europe and getting the NEXT

generation into sustainable, meaningful work. (*)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19) If you answered the open question above and want to be eligible for

a trip to Brussels to attend the Employment Week Forum on 24-25

November 2010, please provide us with your email address in the

space provided below.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you very much for sharing your views with us ! The winners will be

contacted in early September.

Best Regards,

The GEF & FWF Teams

(*) Authors of the best essays, judged by their inventiveness, practicality and clarity will

be invited to the Employment Week Forum in Brussels, to present their ideas to seniormembers of the European Union and other economic institutions, private sector partners

and our team.

Disclaimer

Responses to the Employing the NEXT Generation survey are consideredcondential and therefore individual responses will not be released, shared, or

published. Rather survey results will be reported in aggregate data sets.

In participating in this survey, the participant recognizes that the informationprovided on this survey will be used in an aggregate report and thereforegrants Generation Europe Foundation and the Future Work Forum unrestricteduse of this information.By lling out the open question, participants give Generation EuropeFoundation and the Future Work Forum the permission to use, reproduce &disseminate any part of their contribution.

15) 9. What are the reasons you have turned down a job offer ?

q Insufcient nancial offer

q I was offered a better opportunity elsewhere

q The job turned out to be uninteresting

q Too far away / long commute

q No development possible

q I did not like the people I met at the interview

q I did not feel qualied

q It was a short-term contract

q I have never turned down a job offer



16) 10. When looking for a job, what really matters to you ? Please rank

your 5 main criteria

Sector (private vs. public) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company size (MNC vs. SME) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company name & reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scope (International vs. national) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company ethics and goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Possibility to travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Life work balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Learning / training opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Career perspective / evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A good salary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A meaningful job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A sustainable job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17) 11. Would you consider working for yourself / freelance ?

m Denitely

m Probably

m Probably not, because I would be afraid to do so

m Probably not, because I wouldnt know where to start

m Denitely not


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27

Date of Birth of Respondents

0,00% 2,00% 4,00% 6,00% 8,00% 10,00% 12,00%

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1997

1998

1999

Before 1970

Appendix 2

Additional demographics

Naonality of Respondents

35,3%

16,2%14,5%

7,6% 7,5% 7,1%

2,7%0,9% 0,8% 0,6% 0,4%

6,0%

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

35,0%

40,0%

Italy Greece Hungary Poland Czech

Republic

Estonia Belgium Germany France Spain UK Other

This is not a representative sample of Europe. But in spite of some

signicant national differences, the main themes running through the data

are consistent across boundaries, and it seems likely that the countries

with small samples or none at all would follow similar patterns. The NEXT

Generation thus presents itself to us as a European reality, largely unitedby shared attitudes and aspirations. This is in spite of some differences

in experience and expectations, which arise from the diversity of national

economies and institutions.


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28

Current occupaon

Studying;

49,7%

Unemployed;

122%

Employed

(Part-me); 8,6%

Employed

(Full-me);

23,7%

Other;

5,8%

Highest level of studies achieved / Currently studying

Postgraduate;

19,7%

Graduate;

32,3%Undergraduate;

22,3%

Secondary School;

22,4%

Other;34%


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This publication is part 2 of the Employing The Next Generation series

Part 1 : Integrating People and Technology 2006


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jobs for new generations

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