Year by year thousands of higher education students get a degree expecting to get a job, which allows them to have a proper style of living. Anyway, there is a kind of dread that exists in every young and new employee that makes them feel an aversion to the job market. This is really common and normal, especially for those ones, who have never had a job.

Statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO) show youth unemployment rate has increased considerably since three years ago and is expected to continue going up for the next year. For sure these numbers report a strong inequality and is correlated with poverty and the lack of opportunities around the world; in the words of Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy, “it will be difficult to reach the global goal to end poverty by 2030 unless we redouble our efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth and decent work”.

So are youth unprepared for the job market or is the job market not able to handle them?

Neither, the problem comes from a low investment in education and unequal opportunities. This is why youth from emerging countries feel more unprepared than those ones who come from developed countries. Developed countries invest more in education and focus on society necessities. They create and generate funds for new social programs like scholarships and internships as these actions reduce the unemployment issues and guarantee a capable workforce.

The question is what do the youth think about it? We asked some university students from different countries, how do they feel about getting into the job market? The answers were similar. They for sure are afraid of asking for a job, which is really understandable if we consider conventional universities do not teach how to apply for a job. Nevertheless, students who took more courses, workshops, internships abroad or in companies, feel more comfortable and trusted about exploring the job world.

No doubt, youth do think they are unprepared for the job market. As social beings they feel fear for new experiences, but they expect to obtain the knowledge they did not get at school in their workplaces. However, there are few companies that really care about this situation; so how can companies help with this problem? There is a way for companies to support youth, in order to turn them into more competent and suitable candidates for better roles.

More and more companies that believe youth has the key to new ways of making business, they are betting on them, recruiting them and preparing them for leading new projects. Companies are creating programs for new employees, which allow them to experiment different environments and areas at workplaces, this is reflected in a better knowledge and know-how of the companies.

These new job schemes improve the productivity, so companies are not afraid of changing their modus operandi. So why are you waiting? Because at the end, who doesn’t want prepared employees?