2023-08-12 04:00:45
Added to the problems of aging and demographic exodus suffered by Asturias is youth unemployment, at 24%, more than double that of the general population. Of the 74,700 Asturians between the ages of 16 and 24, a total of 53,200 –seven out of ten– “are completely outside the labor market,” according to a report by CC OO Asturias. In other words, they neither have a job nor are they looking for it. However, as inferred from the data from the Active Population Survey (EPA), the majority of young people classified as “inactive” are studying.
The report “Young people in the Asturian labor market”, prepared by the union, indicates that in the second quarter of this year there were 21,500 young people in the Principality who were working (either with a job or in the process of getting it). And of these, 75% (16,300) were effectively occupied.
These data indicate that the youth employment rate in the region stands at 21.9%, which means that only two out of ten young people have a job. And only 28.8% of them participate in the labor market. However, in summer the percentage can rise to 33.5%, given that many young people are temporarily hired in sectors with intense demand in that season, such as hotels or accommodation.
In fact, CC OO highlights that the hotel and retail trade are the activities that concentrate most of youth employment (16% and 11%, respectively, at the end of 2022) and warns of the “problem of temporality”, since the Active Population Survey (EPA) of the first quarter of last year showed that “42.9% of Asturian wage earners between the ages of 16 and 30 had a temporary contract.”
The union also warns that the population between the ages of 16 and 24 has decreased in Asturias by 39.9% since 2002, and that the departure of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 remains at around 3,900 people per year.
In the presentation of the document, held this week at the International Trade Fair, CC OO asked the next “progressive government” to “be transformative” when it comes to “promoting and modernizing the regional industry.” These warnings contrast with the continuous claims by businessmen from various sectors (some of a markedly industrial nature) that they do not find enough qualified professionals in Asturias.
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