Akiko’s Blog No. 29 “Secure Safe Spaces for the Young”
30 August 2018
Japan had an extreme summer, where it was hit by more typhoons than usual and marked record-breaking high temperatures throughout the country, undergoing torrential rain and heat waves. As of the end of August, more than 90,000 people were taken to hospitals for heatstroke (52,984 people over the year in 2017).
Ministries submit their budget requests to the Ministry of Finance at the end of August; the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare requested yet another record budget of 31 trillion 895.6 billion JPY (increase of 768.4 billion JPY on this fiscal year).
Looking at politics, after the ordinary Diet session closed last month, the incumbent Shinzo Abe and Shigeru Ishiba, former State Minister for Regional Revitalization, have officially made bids for the party presidency, as the LDP presidential election is coming up in September.
Now, let me share with you what I’ve been doing lately as the director of the ILO Office for Japan. I was invited to attend presentations given by students at Waseda University, along with Yoshie Noguchi from the ILO headquarters. I also paid a courtesy call on Iwao Horii, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, with directors of Japanese offices of other UN organizations. You can read more about them on the websites of Waseda University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively.
The ILO Office for Japan will hold the 31st International Symposium on Labour Issues on 4 October, co-sponsored by the Ohara Institute for Social Research of Hosei University. The symposium this year will be on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Decent Work. Do join us at the symposium.
Now, August has some international days, but I’ll pick the International Youth Day (12 August) for this blog, as its theme is “Safe Spaces for Youth” this year. Our Director-General called on the world to “step up actions to promote safe spaces for young people that enhance their opportunities to secure decent work” on this day. We’ve also finished Japanese translation of the executive summary of “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017”. [English Version]
While the global economy marked a modest recovery, the number of unemployed youth amounted to 70.9 million in 2017, the global youth unemployment rate standing at 13.1 %. The rate of NEET (young people not in employment, education, or training) was 21.8 %; of which, 76.9 % were women. In the meantime, 76.7 % of working youth are employed in the informal economy.
The ILO asked young people how they pictured their work life over the next 10 to 15 years in a recent survey on the future of work and youth. A majority of the respondents reported they regarded the future “with fear” or “with uncertainty”; this trend was more prevalent in developed economies.
Young people need decently paying jobs, training to gain such employment opportunities, and social protection that helps them achieve that goal. They also want to be heard.
While there are many successful young people, there are also many who are left without any opportunity, guidance, or room for growth.
It is a grave loss that young people are not able to use their energy and creativity, having no support from society. Creating safe spaces for young people in the world of work signals an important step in forming an environment where young people can deal with various challenges ranging from employability, entrepreneurship, organization and respect for their rights.
Such safe spaces need to be inclusive so that they ensure respect and dignity for all younger generations, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality and ideology. This will naturally require engagement of young people themselves.
Governments, trade unions, employers, and their organizations, in cooperation with communities and others, must be able to contribute in the way of supporting and developing spaces that would provide physical and mental safety for youth to constructively share ideas and experiences as they learn and brush up on their skills. Through social dialogue, the tripartite constituents and other parties can work on the issues surrounding their current situations and future prospects with young people, and pursue solutions that are designed for their needs.
Japan had an extreme summer, where it was hit by more typhoons than usual and marked record-breaking high temperatures throughout the country, undergoing torrential rain and heat waves. As of the end of August, more than 90,000 people were taken to hospitals for heatstroke (52,984 people over the year in 2017).
Ministries submit their budget requests to the Ministry of Finance at the end of August; the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare requested yet another record budget of 31 trillion 895.6 billion JPY (increase of 768.4 billion JPY on this fiscal year).
Looking at politics, after the ordinary Diet session closed last month, the incumbent Shinzo Abe and Shigeru Ishiba, former State Minister for Regional Revitalization, have officially made bids for the party presidency, as the LDP presidential election is coming up in September.
Now, let me share with you what I’ve been doing lately as the director of the ILO Office for Japan. I was invited to attend presentations given by students at Waseda University, along with Yoshie Noguchi from the ILO headquarters. I also paid a courtesy call on Iwao Horii, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, with directors of Japanese offices of other UN organizations. You can read more about them on the websites of Waseda University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively.
The ILO Office for Japan will hold the 31st International Symposium on Labour Issues on 4 October, co-sponsored by the Ohara Institute for Social Research of Hosei University. The symposium this year will be on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Decent Work. Do join us at the symposium.
Now, August has some international days, but I’ll pick the International Youth Day (12 August) for this blog, as its theme is “Safe Spaces for Youth” this year. Our Director-General called on the world to “step up actions to promote safe spaces for young people that enhance their opportunities to secure decent work” on this day. We’ve also finished Japanese translation of the executive summary of “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017”. [English Version]
While the global economy marked a modest recovery, the number of unemployed youth amounted to 70.9 million in 2017, the global youth unemployment rate standing at 13.1 %. The rate of NEET (young people not in employment, education, or training) was 21.8 %; of which, 76.9 % were women. In the meantime, 76.7 % of working youth are employed in the informal economy.
The ILO asked young people how they pictured their work life over the next 10 to 15 years in a recent survey on the future of work and youth. A majority of the respondents reported they regarded the future “with fear” or “with uncertainty”; this trend was more prevalent in developed economies.
Young people need decently paying jobs, training to gain such employment opportunities, and social protection that helps them achieve that goal. They also want to be heard.
While there are many successful young people, there are also many who are left without any opportunity, guidance, or room for growth.
It is a grave loss that young people are not able to use their energy and creativity, having no support from society. Creating safe spaces for young people in the world of work signals an important step in forming an environment where young people can deal with various challenges ranging from employability, entrepreneurship, organization and respect for their rights.
Such safe spaces need to be inclusive so that they ensure respect and dignity for all younger generations, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality and ideology. This will naturally require engagement of young people themselves.
Governments, trade unions, employers, and their organizations, in cooperation with communities and others, must be able to contribute in the way of supporting and developing spaces that would provide physical and mental safety for youth to constructively share ideas and experiences as they learn and brush up on their skills. Through social dialogue, the tripartite constituents and other parties can work on the issues surrounding their current situations and future prospects with young people, and pursue solutions that are designed for their needs.