Brussels' youth unemployment halved after six-year continuous drop
Youth unemployment in the European capital reaches its lowest level since 1990 with for the first time less than 7 000 young jobseekers
1 augustus 2019
There are now 6.971 young jobseekers in Brussels, 922 less than last year (-11,7%), as the youth unemployment rate reaches 18,2%. The number of young jobseekers in the European capital has been cut in half (-50,2%) since July 2013.
Overall, the total number of jobseekers in Brussels is 87.735. Decreasing for the 57th consecutive month, the unemployment rate is at 15,6%. In one year's time, there has been a fall of 2.938 people (-3,2%). Compared to the month of July 2013, the unemployment rate has decreased by 21,1% (-23.477 people).
Six years after the adoption by the Council of the EU of the Recommendation establishing a Youth Guarantee, young people’s labour market performance has improved significantly in the Brussels Capital Region.
With the support of the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative, Actiris - the Brussels' employment office - has intensified efforts to tackle youth unemployment by implementing several reorganisations such as the set-up of a dedicated service to match young people with employers. Moreover, several measures of personalized information and individualized guidance have been put into place.
Some key facts & figures
Since the launch of the Youth Guarantee in Brussels :
- 5 643 trainees have gained a valuable first professional experience with the "First-traineeship"-program
- Youth unemployment rate has decreased from 30,8% to 18,2%
- Total unemployment rate has dropped from 21% to 15,6%, its lowest point since 1992
Background information : what is the Youth Guarantee ?
The Youth Guarantee is a commitment by all EU Member States to ensure that all young people under the age of 25 years receive: a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship, traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.
The successful results of this initiative inspired Actiris to launch the “Guarantee for All” which will expand the Youth Guarantee principles to all first-time registrants.