This sad old world is facing a new challenge that may forever change the society we know and love. There is a distinct possibility that the legions of unemployed under the age of twenty-five may morph into an underclass that will never hold a paying job.
The society we know puts great hope into the education system that progresses young people through an ever increasing arc of knowledge until it reaches the apex - of walking out that school door holding a piece of paper called the " Higher School Certificate ". At that stage, the student stream divides. Some go directly into the work force, while others seek even further knowledge by attending university.
What is absolutely frightening is the change that has occurred since the GFC hit our economic world in 2008. In many parts of the world, the job market collapsed, and first in line to be refused work were the young people seeking their first job.
Since then, the young and jobless keep ever peaking upwards. Greece and Spain now have youth unemployment at above fifty percent, Italy is over thirty-one percent, the UK at twenty-two percent and the United States has reached sixteen percent.
Every year that a young person spends without employment brings them that much closer to the definition of being " unemployable ". It is not a static market place. Skill needs change at a remarkable speed, and the terminology is changing so fast that even those in employment are battling to keep relevant. As the gap widens, crossing that chasm becomes a bridge too far - and in many cases - the incentive to even try evaporates.
A wise person once said that " nature abhors a vacuum ". If we create a vacuum in the lives of young people by this lack of employment, then we can be sure that it will be filled - and that may be by activities that we do not like. We could see a return to " tribalism " as the young unemployed find activities to occupy their minds and bodies.
It could take the form of a radical outlook towards tearing down the social system and replacing it with something more to their liking. We have already seen governments overthrown by social unrest and the formidable strength of people power. In most cases these were oppressive, but oppression is what is in the eye of the beholder - and even a democracy can not be immune to a fast developing mood of change - and that has been evident even here - as elections have shown.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to the question of how we get our young people back to work, but what is clear is the inevitability that if unemployment continues at the present ever growing level, it will result in social change that will roil the world
How it all works out - will be something to ponder in future history books !
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