The fragility of the youth labour market is a global
phenomenon, not least since the economic crisis. According to the International
Labour Organization, 73.4 million young people are expected to be out of work
this year.
The problem of youth unemployment boils down to two
deficits: jobs and employability. The absence of jobs is a question for another
day. I want to explore the nature of employability and in particular, its
socio-cultural dimension. In my experience of working with young people in
central London, I’ve come to identify some crucial aspects of employability: