Young people up to 24 years of age account for one-third of the approximately 15 percent overall unemployment rate. In February 1994 there were 5,859 primary school-leavers among the registered unemployed. Unemployment among school-leavers has been rising each year. This is a result not only of current economic conditions in the country, but also of the fact the generation of children born during the babyboom fostered by the population policies of the Communist Government in the 1970s is now leaving school. The problem is particularly acute among vocational school graduates, and the situation is beginning to be disturbing in regions with the highest unemployment rates (in some districts reaching 24-25 percent).

However, appropriate job programs and adjustment strategies are not being implemented. Indeed, the proportion of funds spent on active employment policies (the creation of new jobs) has declined since 1992, with relatively more money being spent on passive measures such as unemployment benefits. The government is supposed to provide financial support to organizations which hire unemployed secondary school-leavers or university graduates; in practice, however, no funds are available for this.

Vocational training is a major concern. No decision has yet been taken on which government agency is responsible for vocational schools. These schools are financed by the Ministry of Education and Science and are managed by the Ministry of the Economy. Enterprises are not obliged to train primary school-leavers. This an element in the fact that there exists a category of 14- and 15-year-olds who are unemployed and have no opportunity of learning a trade.

On the other hand, specialized training for students is available, though the relevant programs are not run effectively. This diminishes training standards and thus the opportunity for students to find jobs after they have completed school.

Teachers and counselors in vocational schools point to psychological problems, a lack of incentives and the discouragement evident among young people who undergo training knowing that no jobs are available in the professions for which they are being trained. This is particularly the case in Central and Eastern Slovakia, where unemployment rates are generally higher. A conceptual solution is lacking other than the option of ongoing, flexible changes in curriculums. A current approach among students involves enrollment in a retraining course immediately after graduation.

Employment offices are overwhelmed by jobseekers; at the same time, they are not really motivated since people turn to them only because they are obliged to do so by regulations. Government allocations aimed at dealing with unemployment are inefficiently utilized here. They do not lead to the creation of new jobs or even to the identification of job openings. Employment offices might be more effective if they were located directly in vocational schools.

One of the few projects designed to assist in this area is the Network of Youth Information Centers (ICM). The ICM experience proves that unemployment among young people in Slovakia can be dramatically reduced through the provision of timely information. This is because this group is largely made up of skilled individuals (whereas elsewhere unemployed young people are often unskilled). Voluntarism, the assurance of anonymity and efficiency, along with timely information, are basic to the ICM approach. As a result, young people turn to ICM even if their problems are not so pressing, and they perceive ICM as an organization which will help them meet their needs, fulfill their interests and solve their problems without any formal recommendations or references.

Survey findings suggest that, among young people themselves, there has been a decline in hopelessness and a shift toward active strategies with a long-term benefit.

Note: This section is based largely on observations made by Milan Hagovsky, Jozef Jabol, Katarína Rimoczyova and Milan Valica.

Table 4

Solutions to Unemployment as Young People See Them (in %)