Men are more likely to drop out than women

Men and women students behave differently when they faced a critical decision: borrow more money or drop out?. According to a new paper in the journal Gender & Society authored by Rachel Dwyer, Laura McCloud and Randy Hodson, men are more likely than women to drop out of school rather than take on more loans. Women are more likely to finish their degrees, even if that means graduating with more debt. This may explain part of the trend seen in recent years: women are not only enrolling in college at higher rates than men, they are also more likely to graduate.

Why? Men without college degrees face better job prospects that equivalently educated women, at least in the short term. Thus, the consequences of dropping out are lower for men.

Complete note here.

Lessons on youth unemployment

Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark are controlling youth unemployment, some lessons can be learned. Read the complete note here

"The challenge of creating decent jobs for young people"

Last wednesday held the Forum "Thinking of a inclusive Mexico: gaps and employment inequality in Mexico" with the theme "The challenge of creating decent jobs for young people" conducted jointly by the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS ) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The main messages of the Forum were:

i) In Mexico, the proportion of young people aged between 15 and 29 who neither study nor work ("Ninis") is 15 percent above the average of the countries of Latin America, which is 13 percent.

 ii) The youth population in the country suffers from poverty and low levels of schooling.

 iii) These young people are likely to be recruited by organized crime, since 40 per cent of alleged offenders under federal jurisdiction are for this age group.

 iv) More than half of the unemployed in the country are young, and a quarter of those with a job, work in the informal sector, which leads to precarious employment for this age group.

 v) There is a disconnect between school and labor markets.

The Americas Social Security Report celebrates 10 years – Children and Social Security 2011

Following with the summary of 10 years of Americas Social Security Reports, this note will discuss the Americas Social Security Report 2011 – Children and Social Security. The Report evaluates the way in which social security is supporting children, the most vulnerable individuals in any society. Among the main recommendations are: i) to establish universal coverage in healthcare and financial protection for small children (through family allowances), specially for those who live in adverse conditions; ii) to revise the portfolio of programs to assess whether they are the most effective tool to contribute to child well-being; iii) to include gender issues as main components of programs; and iv) to make an effort to increase educational levels.  

In Europe young people are most affected by the crisis

According to the European Commission youth unemployment in Europe has soared by 50% since the financial  crisis of 2008, is rising faster than overall unemployment rates, and nearly half of young workers do not have permanent jobs. More information here.

The ILO warns of the risk of a lost generation

The International Labour Organization (ILO) warned about the risk of a lost generation due to a growing youth employment criris. The Organization called on governments to establish new and stronger partnerships to create more and better jobs for young people. More information here.

Universal child allowance and education

This op-ed by Edgardo Zablotsky comments on the interaction between social protection and education. Apparently, the adoption of the Universal Allowance for Children in Argentina has meant an improved level of attendance to school and has resulted in higher results in standardized tests.

UN: Youth unemployment increases

At the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth, held yesterday and today, the UN reported that the economic recession led to higher youth unemployment. The unemployment rate increased from 11.9 to 13%, which now number 81 million unemployed youth. In addition, the meeting noted that even when they work, young people tend to work longer hours than adults, in exchange for lower wages and informal schemes and no social security. Complete note here.

In Peru more than a third of informal workers are young

In Peru more than 12 million people work in the informal sector, and worse, over one third (4.1 million) are young people aged between 14 and 29. Complete note here.

Children of members will access the IESS

From February 1, the children of members of the Social Security Institute, IESS, under 18 years old, can be cared for in medical centers of the institution. See complete note here.

ILO says global unemployment will continue in 2011

In its report "Global Employment Trends 2011: The challenge of a jobs recovery", the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned that given that global unemployment record highs for the third straight year, its slow recovery will continue during 2011, especially in developed economies. The report also says that youth employment should be a priority, because in 2010 among 56 countries with available data there were 1.7 million fewer youth in the labour market than expected. See complete note here.

210 million unemployed in the world

According Internacionl Labour Organization (ILO), there are 210 million unemployed worldwide, 30 million more than in 2007. The ILO noted that trends indicate a weak recovery in employment and that the worst case is that of youth, as they reported an unemployment rate above average. See complete note here.

Children and Social Security 2011

The Annual Report 2011 “Children and Social Security” mentions basic data on the Canadian program, if you are interested in finding more about this program you can access these links: Service Canada y Régie des Rentes Québec.

Will the Next Generation be Better off Than Their Parents’ Generation? Becker

In his blog, Becker In his blog, Becker writes about the welfare of future generations. Although most parents want their children to have better economic performance than they are, polls suggest that neither the children nor parents in the United States are confident that this will happen. To restore optimism to parents it should be promoted faster economic growth followed by right public policies.

If the factors in your country are the same that drive well, how do you think will be the future welfare of your children about your welfare?

The Americas Social Security Report 2011

During the last decades the aging of society has been discussed widely, but much less is known about the conditions of the children in the Americas and the way social security supports them. The Americas Social Security Report 2011 does not need more of a justifier, it evaluates the way in which social security is supporting children and their families, with the aim of closing the gap in the knowledge of programs for children by identifying positive results and best administrative and policy practices, and researching new options to improve programs and administration. This Report also analyzes the issue of children and their transition to adulthood: many children entering the labor market are at a disadvantage because they are too young, they are not receiving an adequate offer from the educational system, and, more often than not, lack social security protection because they are neither studying nor working. The main objective of this Report is to answer the following questions: Under what conditions are small children living, in terms of poverty, health, and social security coverage? What has been the answer of social security to protect children? What can be done to protect children in families facing special risks (for example, those with a disabled parent, or single mothers? What public policies are needed to secure that children are raised in an environment that fosters their cognitive and non-cognitive development? What is the condition of teenagers and youths with respect to social insurance? What is being done to facilitate the transition from childhood to adulthood, from school to work? The Americas Social Security Report 2011 is available online at: http://www.ciss.org.mx/index_en.php?mod=report .

"Lost generation"

The youth unemployment rate has reached a new record and is still growing, becoming a serious problem for society and especially for young people, even the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns of the risk of calling this generation of teenagers as "lost generation."

In our Report 2011 we analyze this issue:
- In most countries in the Americas, labor markets and educational systems are unable to provide satisfactory opportunities to large shares of the young.
- Young people from 14 to 17 find it difficult to enter the labor market as apprentices or under other realistic options to meet their need for more education, on-the-job training and monetary income.
- Proposes a more dynamic labor market created by removing impediments to labor force participation and job searches.