0
People line up to submit job applications in Bogota, Colombia. / Reuters, Yonhap

It was found that about one in five young Colombians is a NEET (not in education, employment, or training), remaining jobless without pursuing further education or employment.

Local daily El Colombiano reported that the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) of Colombia confirmed through its youth labor market report for June to August released on the 19th (local time) that roughly 2.33 million out of approximately 11.07 million citizens aged 15 to 28 were counted as NEETs.

Broken down by gender, the proportion of women among these NEETs far exceeded that of men. Among the roughly 2.33 million young NEETs from June to August, about 1.59 million were women and approximately 737,000 were men.

Among the surveyed population, NEETs accounted for about 5% in the top 20% income bracket, but reached roughly 40% in the bottom 20%.

Youth employment difficulties in Colombia remain severe. According to the statistics agency, the youth unemployment rate for June to August this year stood at 15.2%, up 0.2 percentage points from 14.8% in the same period last year.

Local media reported that completing education such as university and landing a job to work at a company remains like a dream in Colombia, noting that the job-seeking process is like a nightmare for young people.

The survey began in 2021, when the number of young NEETs fell from roughly 3.75 million the previous year to about 3.12 million. The downward trend continued thereafter, decreasing by as little as roughly 50,000 to as much as about 630,000 per year, reaching approximately 2.33 million as of August this year.

With birth rates dropping and more young people emigrating abroad, observations are emerging that the decline in Colombia's youth population could accelerate.

Juan Camilo Villar, a professor of economics at Externado University of Colombia, pointed out, "What is more important than the raw number of young NEETs is their proportion of the total," adding, "The problem is that it is not decreasing from the 21% to 23% range."

Luz Magdalena Salas, vice president of the Colombian Association of Financial Institutions (ANIF), advised, "That two out of ten young people are idle without a job is proof of problems in Colombia's education system and labor market," adding, "That many youths have halted their studies and even given up on job hunting means educational and employment opportunities are not connecting, which is a matter that must be viewed with great gravity."

                                                                                                           Son Young-sik