In today’s society, the world is comprised of 1.2 billion young people from the age of 15-24, approximately 16% of the global population. Although this is a huge number, unfortunately these young people are almost 3 times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the work force and generally have a hard time transitioning into the world’s global work economy. According to the OECD, youth unemployment continues to be a rising problem and it is estimated that 475 million new jobs need to be created in the next decade to absorb the 73 million youth currently unemployed. In order to combat these insane statistics, the international community has placed forward an ambitious agenda known as “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which aims to promote and encourage the youth to achieve full and productive employment while working on numerous other problems in the world such as inequality within and among countries, preservation of the planet, etc. This younger generation, known as “Generation Z,” will have a huge impact on the future of humanity. Characteristics of this generation include comfortability with technology at a young age, ambitious outlooks, hard-working principles, and mental health disorders never seen before at such a high percentage.
Being part of Generation Z myself, this notion worries me quite a lot and I wonder how difficult it will be to integrate into a stable jobs for my generation. It seems as if our generation is hyper focused on the present. We seldom seek to look 5 years into the future, causing us problems later down the road which might give reason as to why these figures mentioned above are so high and why we are so confused with our predicament when the time arrives.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Generation Z makes up about a quarter of the entire population in the U.S. Because they are in great numbers, they exuberate a strong influence on the country’s culture and are heavily involved in revolutionizing the educational system. According to the World Economic Forum, over 1 in 5 members of Generation Z are interested in attending a trade or vocational school instead of a four-year institution. Information gathered from the 2018 CNBC All-American Economic Survey displayed that many young Americans did not believe tuition prices for colleges and universities were justified and showed that there was a rising value in programs that required less years of schooling to obtain a degree or certificate. If this is true then maybe vocational education may yield better employment rates rather than 4-year institutions due to the fact that this allows them to primarily focus on developing a specific skill set, rather than going through the hassle of completing G.E.C’s that are irrelevant to the work force the individual wants to join.
As the world becomes more technologically advanced, individuals who attend vocational training schools will benefit the most as they will become more skilled in a work field at a quicker rate. As of 2018, the number of robots occupying jobs in the professional field are increasing, making low-paying jobs more obsolete. Due to the impact of this labor transformation, new opportunities are opening, creating more demand for high-skilled jobs. That is why it is crucial to push these newer generations to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics ) or any other high-skilled majors. STEM majors also have the best chances to become employed and start with a high-paying salary.
According to KDM Engineering, the top five countries with international high-skilled employment are Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries attract foreign employees who are highly skilled, business-friendly, have a “regulatory” environment, quality education, and a standard of living which all contribute to their worldwide success. Now, we need to spread these skills and tools to countries that are less fortunate and impoverished as they contribute to the international vulnerable employment rate. The goal is to open more opportunities for everyone to work in high-skilled environments. As years go on, Generation Z will take over the workforce and it will be their responsibility to take care of the world, making it vital to teach this generation and those onward how to maximize their efficiency.