Jordan participates world in the International Youth Day 15-24 years

 Al Anbat -Ayah Awwad 

Friday, August 12, marks International Youth Day, and this year came under the slogan "Solidarity between generations: Creating a world for all ages”, with the aim of spreading the message that there is a need to work across generations to achieve the goals of sustainable development and to avoid leaving anyone behind. This occasion is also intended to raise awareness of some of the obstacles that prevent intergenerational solidarity.  The Global Agenda for Sustainable Development recommended that countries of the world measure the percentage of young people who are not enrolled in education, training or work, and this percentage is high among Jordanian youth.

The Higher Population Council’s interest in the Youth Day comes with the expectation that Jordan will reach the stage of demographic opportunity after the third decade of this century, which is expected to witness a decline in the proportion of children under 15 years of age and an increase in the proportion of young people and adults of working age, which will carry with it many returns on the Society and the family, represented by a decrease in the dependency ratio, an increase in family saving opportunities, and thus investment in the education and training of children and their health, an increase in the participation of mothers in the labor market, and an improvement in family income.

 The future of any people is in the hands of its youth, and therefore investment is being made in preparing them to achieve the desired hope. Therefore, we referred at the beginning of this briefing to the current and future size of the youth segment and the need to protect and prepare it to advance itself, its family and its society.  It is not possible to prepare this large number of young people for the future and provide them with knowledge, skills and means of protection from risks without an education and training system that responds to their life needs and the needs of the changing labor market.

 It is a matter of concern that the percentage of unemployed youth is high in Jordan, and a very high percentage of them have below secondary education and are thus suitable for immediate involvement in jobs that do not require skills and training and are widely available in the Jordanian labor market. Fortunately, we are witnessing today a remarkable turnout from young people to work in several sectors that were the preserve of expatriate workers. The concerns are not limited to youth unemployment only, but this briefing pointed to a number of dangers that undermine the expected role of youth in development and the economic and social consequences of these dangers.