Giving Compass' Take:

• Due to the rapid pace of urbanization throughout the world, there are higher rates of unemployed, urban youth that are moving towards patterns of violence instead of the workforce. 

• Academic research says that youth unemployment is a global challenge because the rates of unemployment vary within high income and low-income countries, as well as the effectiveness of government programs in those countries.  How can we implement universally sustainable solutions to combat this issue?

• Read about how social entrepreneurship might be key to solving youth unemployment in Uganda. 

Unemployment is a growing challenge around the world, though it is not a full-blown crisis yet. However, when the crisis comes, it is likely to erupt among urban youth.

While heading off such a calamity will not be easy, the global benefits of doing so would be great. As productive and socially responsible adults, the youth of today and in years to come could make planet Earth a better place for all. As productive and socially responsible adults, the youth of today and in years to come could make planet Earth a better place for all.

A quick survey of the literature makes it clear that there will be no simple or universal solutions to the challenge of urban youth unemployment. The factors producing it are different in each city and useful interventions have to be well tailored to the cultural context.

Youth are the prime unemployment concern globally because their numbers are growing in most countries and because they are more prone to violence than adults. The first major outbreaks of violence by unemployed youth are likely to occur in cities because of the rapid pace of urbanization everywhere.

With continuing migration of youth from rural to urban areas, however, urban youth unemployment could be rising in these countries even as the number of youth is falling.

The extensive academic research on youth unemployment highlights the complexities of the global challenge. For example, the expectations and education of youth vary tremendously between high-income and low-income countries. At the same time, the capacity of governments to mount effective programs varies greatly.

Read the full article about unemployed urban youth by Lex Rieffel at Brookings