Since the economic crisis of 2008, unemployment has become an acute problem across countries, specifically in the European region, Eurostat estimates that around 18 million in the EU-28 were unemployed in the January 2018. It also states that around 4 million young people under the age of 25 were unemployed. It is crucial to note that since the start of the refugee crisis, over one million people have entered Europe. Per records, 82% of the asylum seekers are under the age of 35 and refugees do make up a significant number to the workforce of the EU.
India too is plagued by unemployment rate around 10% and a majority of youth find it difficult to get jobs due to lack of skills and even if they find, it usually below their aspirations. Unemployment is usually higher among youth, as they find it difficult to get jobs, especially between the age group of 18 – 30. Among fluctuating market demands, lack of quality of labor force, – in terms of skills sets and good training schemes makes it further challenging. Considering the fact that, most refugees take at least 8 months – 12 months or never actually to actively integrate to active employment and yet most of them are dependent on social benefit schemes, it results in draining of resources that are, by and large limited.
It is also noted that a significant of these young men and women find it difficult to find jobs matching their skills and the rest can’t find enough opportunities to develop skills to be a productive workforce.