Research shows 5.2 million young people between 14 and 24 without a job

An unprecedented diagnosis on specific data on the employability of young people in Brazil – carried out by the Undersecretariat for Statistics and Labor Studies, of the Ministry of Labor and Employment – reveals that, of the 207 million inhabitants of Brazil, 17% are young people aged 14 to 24 , and of these, 5.2 million are unemployed, which corresponds to 55% of people in this situation in the country, which, in total, reach 9.4 million.

Among unemployed young people, 52% are women and 66% are black and brown. Those who neither work nor study – the so-called neither-nor – add up to 7.1 million, of which 60% are women, most with young children, and 68% are black and brown.

According to the Young Employability Brazil survey, presented this Friday (26), at a meeting at the CIEE (Company-School Integration Center), in São Paulo, in the first quarter of 2023, 23% of employed young women and 37% of young employed men had not finished high school and 38% of the unemployed and 46% of the unemployed had not finished high school. Only 9% of employed young women and 5% of employed young people have higher education.

When occupations are considered, the survey reveals that 86% had occupations that were not very challenging and 14% of employed young people (2.2 million) had occupations that involved technical activities, culture or information technology and communications. The common point was informality, with 51% of women and 56% of blacks and browns in informality.

Occupations

The data also show that the 15 most frequent occupations involve 1.3 million young people who work as telephone salespeople, salespeople, construction workers, motorcycle drivers, animal caretakers and kitchen helpers, among others. Another 15 occupations with a variation of more than 60% between 2020 and 2022 encompass 300,000 young people, who work in technical, cultural or information technology and communications activities, among others.

According to the survey, in 2022, apprentices aged 14 to 24 totaled around 500,000; 57% were aged between 14 and 17 years old and 42% were between 18 and 24 years old and 86% of these apprentices worked in the 15 most frequent occupations. There were 642,000 interns, 70% of whom were in the Executive and Legislative bodies of states and municipalities.

no medium level

According to the Undersecretary for Statistics and Labor Studies, of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Paula Montagner, there are 35 million young people between the ages of 14 and 24 in Brazil, but what can be observed is that, mainly among the employed and unemployed, those who have entered the world of work, there are still many people who have not completed secondary school.

“And this credential is the minimum to get better quality jobs or to be able to enter courses that bring more knowledge density and more skills to get a better job. This survey showed that only 14% of the occupations in which young people are are occupations with these characteristics, which also help young people to transition to better occupations and have a future perspective”, stated Paula.

For her, one of the objectives of the study is to contribute to encouraging society as a whole, teachers and employers, as well as young people themselves, to understand this dynamic and the importance of schooling.

“In addition to understanding the importance of training at the secondary level so that he can, if he thinks that it is not the case to work, it is to look for occupations in the world of work that give him perspective and that guarantee a dignified life with adequate salary”, he emphasized.

For the executive director of CIEE, Humberto Casagrande, the survey undeniably highlighted a series of inequalities that exist in Brazil between black women, young adolescents, young adults and informal work. “And based on this research, we can discuss paths, how we can transform this statistical picture. And there are several paths along the lines of the young apprentice, technical education and several other things”.