YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

SPAIN: YOUTH TRAPPED IN NEET LIMBO

The limbo-state of being a NEET, a young person who is neither employed nor enrolled in any type of education or training, seems to be touching more and more young people in Spain despite the first hints of economic recovery, according to the latest OECD report on Education. A total of 1.7 out of the 7.6 million young people in Spain find themselves in this situation, the highest rate in Europe. With figures reflecting high academic failure and increasing drop-out rates, the percentage of NEETs has grown in all the levels of education, from students having accomplished only basic tuition to holders of master’s degrees.

Most of these young people cannot find their way into the labour market, or have to work in precarious working conditions with temporary, short-term contracts that are followed by long periods of unemployment.

In an article published by the Spanish newspaper El País, various experts stress that unemployment is not simply a result of the economic crisis but of a weak system of vocational training. The Spanish government has not promoted the return of those who dropped out of education before the crisis, and there seems to be a mismatch between the demands of the market and the educational offer.

The trade unions of the education sector condemn the measures taken by the government in the new education law, which will not solve the urgent problems of the sector. The Federación de Enseñanza de Comisiones Obreras (FECCOO) has issued a report with the title “The education system bleeds to death: cuts in spending, more pupils and less teachers”. And the Federación de Trabajadores de la Enseñanza de UGT (FETE-UGT) has issued a press release in which it denounces the insecurity that comes with the new law.

But Spain is not an exception, despite being at the top of the list. The OECD study points out that the number of students with a secondary education diploma who have dropped out and are not in the labour market has been continually on the rise since 2008 in most OECD countries. It therefore recommends the adjustment of education programmes in order to prevent the young from becoming stuck in ‘dead alleys’.

(11 September 2014) http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/3210

SYNONYMS

• A slight indication- hint
• Number of people who leave school or college early. drop-out rate
• Education, instruction- tuition
• Uncertain, unsteady- precarious.
• To help or encourage- promote
• Not suitable for each other- mismatch
• association of employees formed to improve their incomes and working conditions- trade union
• on the increase- on the rise
• to ensure that something doesn’t happen- prevent
• a situation in which further progress is impossible- dead alley/ dead end

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 UNEMPLOYED YOUNG PEOPLE 'FALLING APART' EMOTIONALLY

Unemployment is damaging the emotional well-being of young people.

One in three Neets (young people "not in education, employment, or training") between the ages of 16 and 25 regularly "fall apart" emotionally, a study by youth charity the Prince's Trust showed.

More than a third of the 2,265 people polled said they often feel anxious about everyday situations and avoided meeting new people; the figure rose to 56 per cent for NEETs. Almost half of those who were unemployed said they feel down or depressed often or always.

And the younger generation is at risk of becoming cut off from society, with more than one in ten feeling anxious to leave their house. Moreover, those who are unemployed are twice as likely to feel this way, while 43 per cent of NEETs said they often feel isolated.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince's Trust, said: "Thousands of young people feel like prisoners in their own homes. Without the right support, these young people become socially isolated - struggling with day-to-day life and slipping further and further from the jobs market."

David Fass, who helped with the research, added: "Young people are our future and it is important that we invest in them and provide them with the tools they need to reach their full potential."

The Youth Index 2015 found that young people's overall happiness and confidence had fallen one point since 2014, from 72 to 71 - but for NEETs it had dropped two points, from 61 to 59. The figure is also five points lower than in 2013.

Employment Minister Esther McVey said: "We work more closely with businesses to support young people so they can benefit from our schemes and gain practical work experience - precisely because we know how important it is for them to get the right start.

"Our young people are some of the best and talented in the world who have worked hard to weather the recession better than previous generations, and every day we're matching them with local employers.

"We've seen significant falls in youth unemployment and as part of our long-term economic plan we want to do more, which is why I'd urge any young person who is struggling with their job hunt to get in touch with Jobcentre Plus."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unemployed-young-people-falling-apart-emotionally-charity-finds-9976833.html

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UNEMPLOYED YOUNG PEOPLE VERY STRESSED (16th January2016)

A new survey from Britain shows that a third of young, unemployed people regularly "fall apart" emotionally. They are so stressed or unhappy that they cannot control their emotions, so they have problems living a "normal" life. 

The survey is from a youth charity called the Prince's Trust. Its researchers asked questions to 2,200 people who did not have a job. Almost half of them said they often felt anxious about everyday situations, and that they tried not to meet new people. One in eight of those surveyed said they were too stressed to leave the house. The charity said: "Thousands of young people feel like prisoners in their own homes. Without the right support, these young people become socially isolated."

 Many of these young people struggle with day-to-day life, which means they find it more and more difficult to find a job. Britain's Employment Minister Esther McVey said: "Our young people are some of the best and most talented in the world." She said it was important to try and match these people with the right jobs. Researcher David Fass added: "Young people are our future and it is important that we invest in them and provide them with the tools they need to reach their full potential." Jack, 25, explained how hard it was for him to be unemployed. He said: "I would wake up and wouldn't want to leave the house. I stopped speaking to my friends and I had absolutely no confidence speaking to people."

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1501/150116-unemployed.html

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GOVERNMENTS MUST STEP UP EFFORTS TO TACKLE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

27/05/2015 - More than 35 million young people, aged 16-29, across OECD countries are neither employed nor in education or training (NEET). Overall, young people are twice as likely as prime-age workers to be unemployed. Governments need to do more to give young people a good start to their working lives and help them find work, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD Skills Outlook 2015 says that around half of all NEETs in the OECD are out of school and not looking for work and are likely to have dropped off the radar of their country’s education, social, and labour market systems.

“Addressing this issue is not only a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, launching the report in Berlin. “Too many young people leave education without having acquired the right skills and, even those who do, are prevented from putting them to productive use. These young people often face a difficult future and need all our support. “

The report expands on the findings of the first OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), published in 2013, and creates a detailed picture of how young people acquire and use their skills, as well as the potential barriers they face to doing both.

It shows that 10% of new graduates have poor literacy skills and 14% have poor numeracy skills. More than 40% of those who left school before completing their upper secondary education have poor numeracy and literacy skills.

Work and education are also too often separate worlds: less than 50% of students in vocational education and training programmes, and less than 40% of students in academic programmes in the 22 OECD countries and regions covered were participating in some kind of work-based learning at the time of the survey. Even young people with strong skills have trouble finding work. Many firms find it too expensive to hire individuals with no labour market experience.

Young people in work can also face institutionalised obstacles to developing their skills. For example, one in four employed young people is on a temporary contract and so tend to use their skills less and have fewer training opportunities than workers on permanent contracts.

To help more young people into work, the OECD recommends:

·         High-quality pre-primary education for all children in order to help mitigate disparities in education outcomes and to give every child a strong start to their education.

·         Teachers and school leaders should identify low achievers early on to give them the support they need to attain sufficient proficiency in reading, mathematics and science, and prevent them from dropping out of school entirely.

·         Public employment services, social welfare institutions and education and training systems should offer some form of second-chance education or training. In return for receiving social benefits, young people could be required to register with social welfare or public employment services, and participate in further education and training.

·         Education providers and the business sector should work together to design qualifications frameworks that accurately reflect the actual skills of new graduates.

·         Work-based learning should be integrated into both vocational and academic post-secondary programmes.

http://www.oecd.org/education/governments-must-step-up-efforts-to-tackle-youth-unemployment.htm

Spain: youth trapped in NEET limbo

The limbo-state of being a NEET, a young person who is neither employed nor enrolled in any type of education or training, seems to be touching more and more young people in Spain despite the first hints of economic recovery, according to the latest OECD report on Education. A total of 1.7 out of the 7.6 million young people in Spain find themselves in this situation, the highest rate in Europe. With figures reflecting high academic failure and increasing drop-out rates, the percentage of NEETs has grown in all the levels of education, from students having accomplished only basic tuition to holders of master’s degrees.

Most of these young people cannot find their way into the labour market, or have to work in precarious working conditions with temporary, short-term contracts that are followed by long periods of unemployment.

In an article published by the Spanish newspaper El País, various experts stress that unemployment is not simply a result of the economic crisis but of a weak system of vocational training. The Spanish government has not promoted the return of those who dropped out of education before the crisis, and there seems to be a mismatch between the demands of the market and the educational offer.

The trade unions of the education sector condemn the measures taken by the government in the new education law, which will not solve the urgent problems of the sector. The Federación de Enseñanza de Comisiones Obreras (FECCOO) has issued a report with the title “The education system bleeds to death: cuts in spending, more pupils and less teachers”. And the Federación de Trabajadores de la Enseñanza de UGT (FETE-UGT) has issued a press release in which it denounces the insecurity that comes with the new law.

But Spain is not an exception, despite being at the top of the list. The OECD study points out that the number of students with a secondary education diploma who have dropped out and are not in the labour market has been continually on the rise since 2008 in most OECD countries. It therefore recommends the adjustment of education programmes in order to prevent the young from becoming stuck in ‘dead alleys’.

(11 September 2014) http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/3210

SYNONYMS

• A slight indication- hint
• Number of people who leave school or college early. drop-out rate
• Education, instruction- tuition
• Uncertain, unsteady- precarious.
• To help or encourage- promote
• Not suitable for each other- mismatch
• association of employees formed to improve their incomes and working conditions- trade union
• on the increase- on the rise
• to ensure that something doesn’t happen- prevent
• a situation in which further progress is impossible- dead alley/ dead end

Out of the job market at 23 — Spain’s ‘nini’ generation

José Luis Flores plays on his PlayStation in his room. 

With youth unemployment so high, how do you motivate youngsters to seek work or study? CARMEN PÉREZ-LANZAC Madrid 7 NOV 2014

José Luis Flores rarely goes to sleep before 4.30am. The 23-year-old has no job, and has never worked. He stays up in his mother’s home in Cádiz watching late-night television long after she’s gone to bed, and then plays video games until the early hours.

He’s a typical example of the 25 percent of Spaniards aged between 15 and 29 known as ninis – the word, derived from the Spanish phrase ni estudia ni trabaja (ni-ni), used to describe those who are neither studying or training, or in work. An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report published in September puts the developed world average for youths who are neither in employment nor in education at 15 percent.

Spain fares poorly in the report: 31 percent of Spaniards without a high school diploma are out of work, compared with an OECD average of 15 percent, while 20 percent of those who did graduate from high school are also unemployed, compared with an OECD average of 16 percent. At the same time 23 percent of university graduates are jobless, compared with a developed world average of 13 percent.

Even with an education, Flores would have little chance of finding work in Cádiz, which has the highest unemployment rate in Spain: 42.4 percent, compared with a national average of 24.4 percent. Joblessness among the under-25s there is 69.2 percent.

He says he stopped looking for work three years ago, and is no longer even registered at his local employment center. He says he inquired about training courses there a month ago, and has received no reply. “I don’t see them coming up with any help for me,” he says resignedly, adding that his only hope is finding a position through friends or family.

Mara Cuadrado, a family psychologist, highlights the role parents can play in preventing young people from losing hope: “It’s essential to stop them from just sitting around doing nothing. They have to understand the importance of keeping trying, or training, or going to job interviews. If it comes to it, they should go abroad: anything rather than just giving in.”

Amado Benito, a child psychologist, goes further, recommending a tough-love approach: “The people around them have to make it clear that it is only by making an effort that things change. If young people are given help, they won’t struggle, they give in: they have to understand that survival is about fighting.”

Manuel García Sedeño, a psychologist and lecturer at Cádiz University, blames local authorities and the government for failing to come up with solutions to help young people like Flores: “I am a great believer in occupational training: courses with a specific goal, like house building, which are great motivators.”

Flores has three friends of the same age in the same situation: all have managed to find temporary work: one worked in his father’s bar, another found employment in the shipyards, while the other has an uncle who runs a security firm. All say they believe they will find work again.

Meanwhile, Flores spends most of his time at home, going to bed late, getting up late, and watching a lot of television. He occasionally ventures out, maybe to play soccer with friends, or to the local gym, but he says he can’t be bothered to SEARCH for work: “What’s the point? I feel ashamed, lazy; the future looks bleak. No work, no studies, how about that? But I don’t want to think about it.”

Like most ninis, he survives thanks to his family. His mother, Mari Carmen, a cheerful, outgoing 53-year-old divorcée pays his gym fees, as well as buying him the latest PlayStation. “He’s not a big spender,” she says. He wears fake designer trainers and drinks Pepsi instead of Coca-Cola: “Every little helps.”

He has no interest in politics (“I voted once, but I can’t remember which party it was for”), although he hopes that new left-wing grouping Podemos will improve things. His mother says she’s given up on politics: “We have had them all in charge in Cádiz, and they are all the same. I’d vote for Podemos, they’re the ones I trust most.”

Flores waits for his mother to get in at 10.30pm to prepare his evening meal, which the pair eat as they watch television: “It’s impossible to have any hope in Cádiz,” she says munching on a sandwich while her son tucks into a pizza. “There is no industry left here, and I can’t imagine my son working as a plumber or a builder,” she adds.

Flores, who has developed a bodybuilder’s physique thanks to his twice-weekly workouts, says he’d like to be a gym monitor or work as a security guard. “Young people have no vision any more. If my son did, he’d get up off the sofa: a girlfriend, a job, something to get him out of bed in the morning. But he’s not exactly motivated is he?” says his mother.

Around midnight, Flores goes to his room, where he spends the next four hours playing online soccer – his only concern winning enough points to buy a decent player.

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/11/07/inenglish/1415352012_379056.html

Crisis sees rise in number of youngsters out of work and not studying

An unemployment OFFICE in Madrid. / EFE

Spain remains at the top of the list for so-called “ninis,” according to latest OECD education report. PILAR ÁLVAREZ 9 SEP 2014 

One in every four young Spaniards is a “nini” – a nickname in Spanish for someone who is neither working nor studying. According to a new education report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Spain has the highest number of ninis aged between 15 and 29. The level is also five points higher than the OECD average, on a par with Chile, Ireland, Turkey, Italy and Mexico. The number of university graduates in the country out of work, or who are no longer studying, has risen 10 points in four years, to 23 percent, according to the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2014 report.

The study, which analyzes data from 2012, shows that the number of students with secondary education who abandon their studies and do not head into work has been growing since 2008 in the majority of OECD countries. It recommends all countries revise orientation and education programs to ensure that there are no “dead ends” for young people.

Nearly 1.7 million young Spaniards out of a total of 7.6 million will remain without work before reaching the age of 30, according to Eurostat data. In Spain, where school-leaver RATES and low grades are among the highest in Europe, the percentage of ninis has grown at all levels of education compared to OECD reports released in 2012 and 2013.

The problem is greatest among those who have not completed secondary school education (31 percent, with an increase of two points in two years), followed by those who completed secondary school (20 percent).

The majority of these youngsters are unemployed in Spain (19 percent compared to an OECD average of six percent). The report attributes this to the high amount of temporary contracts usually offered to young people in Spain, which are interspersed with periods of unemployment.

“We still have a very sick labor market,” explains José Dalado, an expert in labor law and lecturer at the European University in Florence. “Five-day contracts are the norm, followed by weeks out of work.” The study shows, in fact, that more than half of young people in Spain aged between 15 and 29 who have finished their studies and are working PART time want to work more hours.

Florentino Felgueroso, a researcher at the Foundation of Applied Economic Studies (FEDEA), explains that the Spanish administration has not made sufficient efforts to ensure that youngsters with a low level of education return to the education system. “We have wasted a lot of time in this period of crisis,” he says. “The education system should have taken advantage of it to better train those who were left behind because of the real estate boom.”

Felgueroso also says, however, that the number of ninis reached its peak in 2012, and that this percentage will come down – albeit not because of the active youth employment measures introduced by the government. The main reasons, he explains, are the fall in the youth population (with nearly 600,000 fewer youngsters since 2011), and the crisis itself. “The younger ones have seen that the future is complicated and have decided to spend more time at school and getting training.”

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/09/09/inenglish/1410258295_626811.html?rel=rosEP

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Do you think unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain today?

I am sure that now a days unemployment is the most serious problem in our society, because young people unemployment has increased due to high level of school drop-out .

On the one hand, the reason for youth unemployment could be the Spanish educational system. A good educational system is key to achieving employment; abandonment in Spain is the second highest in Europe. With the boom of the real state bubble numerous opportunities have emerged in the construction sector for young people without qualifications that could get generous wages , leaving compulsory education.

On the other hand, I think young people have greater labor vulnerabilities in the current economic crisis, some solutions to solve this serious situation would be for instance collect higher taxes from millionaires, eliminate the monarchy forever, change the structure of the current job market so that there may be more jobs.

In conclusion, the unemployment problem is serious, but there are different solutions such as: the promotion of education or training  to prevent dropping out of school, job search support, business assistance and implement special programmes for young people who do not study or are in the labor market.

Melisa fernández Ardaya. 2:C

UNEMPLOYMENT IN SPAIN

In every society there will always be a number of people who are unemployed. Unemployment is when there are people who want to work but there aren’t enough jobs for everyone. Nowadays in Spain 23% of the population are unemployed and this percentage will continue to increase in the next few years .

In my opinion, unemployment is not just the only problem that haunts Spain; for example, the cuts that the States are doing now are very important and it's estimated that they will increase too. Cuts in health and  education are generating serious problems, but these problems are in the background. It seems that all these problems are caused by the economic crisis. Spain is considered one of the countries of the European Union where there is more unemployment and it's the most worrying problem.

For this reason the state should help people who are unemployed to improve the country's economy. I think that it is not easy, but if everyone contributes, this problem will be pushed to the background.

Ana Claudia Chupillón, 2n C

Do you thing unemployment is the worst worrying problem in Spain today?

Nowadays, in Spain there is a lot of unemployment, especially among young people. Every month new unemployment figures appear and, at the moment, they are only increasing.

Firstly, unemployment has become a national problem. Every day we can see on  television people that lose their house after having lost their jobs. Another reason is that, in a short time, you move from being employed to being unemployed. For example, a family who lives well thanks to the salary of the father, if he loses the job, the family will suddenly become poor. Finally, unemployment is a big problem, because an unemployed person spends less money than when this person has a job, therefore he will buy less things and consequently more people will become unemployed.

In conclusion, I think that unemployment is the biggest problem nowadays in Spain and I hope that in the next years many unemployed people will be able to find work.

Javi Melia -C

UNEMPLOYMENT

Today unemployment is the most serious concern for the European Union and also for most people around the world. In my opinion, unemployment in Spain is the most worrying problem.

First of all, in recent years unemployment has been increasing in Spain because of the crisis. The crisis has left millions of people out of work and so many people cannot afford basic needs such as food, clothing, among other things. Even some parents are forced to steal in order to eat. Young people have been hardest hit in this crisis because there is a very high percentage of people on the dole and they are the future of this country.

Furthermore, people do not make money and therefore they cannot afford the house and they are forced to go back home with their family or even the street. But fortunately, they are taken to the most serious cases.

In conclusion, unemployment causes distress and discouragement among the Spanish population, because they see that they cannot meet their basic needs.

Rocío Alonso Seguí, 2º batx A

Do you think unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain today?

I think that unemployment is not the most worrying problem in Spain, I think that eviction, famine and poverty are currently more important issues.

However, I think that unemployment is the generator of the other problems, if people can't get a job, they may not pay a home, buy food or pay for other basic needs like electricity, water or gas.

Actually, I think that Spain is going through a bad time but we can overcome these problems because we have suffered another crisis but we have always moved forward. It will be difficult, but we can do it and we have to do it  trying to solve problems like unemployment, famine and poverty problems, then we will be able to fix other problems like health and education.

Jordi Olives Cegarra, 2º Batxillerat A

Do you think unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain today?

Spain, at this moment, has a lot of problems. The country  is undergoing tough times /is going through hard times . One of the most important problems though, according to  a large part  of the population, is  unemployment. So now, more than five million people haven’t a job.

The problem arrived with the global crisis, which has lasted longer than Spaniards expected. At first, the government sent every day a  reassuring message for the population saying that it wasn't a crisis but a ‘’deceleration’’. People believed it because the Spanish economy wasn't so bad. That was in 2007-2008. Nevertheless, at the same time we saw the situation in USA and also in the rest of Europe, we worried a little although the president, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, kept giving  the same message: ‘’Don’t worry, Spain has a good and strong economy’’. A lot of Spaniards began to suspect and worry really. The first protests took place. Unemployment, obviously, kept onrising and a lot of families lost their job. In addition, the government didn’t  do anything about it. As a result, the social, economic and political situation of the country got worse.

With the new government that seemed to improve but, at the moment, it doesn’t. The president and his party are trying to improve the economy and they focus  more on banks and increased the cutbacks in education, health, justice… Unemployment continues rising and a lot of Spaniards choose to emigrate to European countries such as Germany or Sweden.

Jordi Saura Nadal  2n B

Do you think unemployment is the worst worrying problem in Spain today?

Nowadays many people are on the dole because Spain suffers an economic crisis that is affecting the country. According to the last data report, unemployment can reach up to six million. In my view I think it is a serious problem.

Firstly,It is hampering the lives of many families because if they have children the parents need money for their children's entertainment, among other things. Secondly, I think that unemployment also affects  the standard of living of the people since they spend less and consequently others are affected. We could say it's like a chain.

To conclude, I believe that unemployment is a serious problem because many people are suffering a lot as they don't have enough money by the end on the month having the same expenses or more than before.

Marta Martínez Álvarez, 2 BTX A

Do you think unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain today?

Nowadays, the economic and financial situation is the most worrying problem in the Spanish society. Since the economic crisis started some years ago, the development of most of the national companies has decreased and they keep in an extreme situation, on the edge of their fail. This economic instability causes the concern of many Spanish families, who see that their economic resources are not safe. In this context of unemployment and poverty, many people claim for a change in our system. But everything is too complicated and this radical change needs radical measures, which are not easy to be taken.

Firstly, we have to change our minds completely and go step by step. We are giving too much importance to foreign companies with such large capital that could buy a whole country. The change starts by promoting the national companies in order to increase their benefits, even if the prices of their products are a little bit higher. Doing this we could let workers of these companies, who are Spanish, earn a salary, helping them solve their economic problems. This would increase the Spanish employment rate.

Another measure, the most important in my opinion, could be reorganizing the political and financial system, starting by revising the salaries of most of the politicians and the distribution of the taxation. Spain has one of the highest number of politicians in Europe, even ahead of countries with a larger population. This means that there are too many politicians, which mean an extra expense to the central government, helping the economic crisis to increase. Adding the problems of corruption, which are very common in Spain, the sume of expenses in the expenditure on politicians increases to an exorbitant number. 

To conclude, the change in our system is possible only with severe measures which affect political, economical and financial structures. These changes are difficult to be taken, even though they are necessary, because the ones who have to approve them are the ones who will suffer from them. In my opinion, that's the reason why Spain has kept, keeps and will keep in this situation for a very long time.

Borja Pons Torres, 2nd B 

Do you think unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain today?

Unemployment is a reality in Spain. A couple of years ago, unemployment figures started to increase and, nowadays, they continue increasing exponentially. Last month the number of unemployed people was nearly five million. In my opinion, unemployment is the most worrying problem in Spain.

Firstly, it’s a fact that the actual policies aren’t helping unemployment figures to stop increasing, actually, they’re making dismissals cheaper and easier. Secondly, I think that unemployment affects all of us: it has created a lost generation of teenagers who don’t have any objectives because they can’t find a job; and there are also people in their fifties that are being dismissed and, because of their age, won’t be contracted again because businessmen prefer younger people.

Some people would say that these policies aren’t bad, because it makes it  easier for businessmen  to have their business and make them grow putting an end to the crisis that is desolating Spain. But, the truth is that these policies are doing nothing more than sinking the country more and more.

In conclusion, I think that we have to change the policies radically in order not to lose the welfare state and put an end to this crisis.

Leo

IMMIGRATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN SPAIN

SPAIN'S YOUTH STRUGGLE AGAINST HUGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Click on the following link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15176520 and try to answer the  questions:

• Where is the reporter? 
• What are the students doing? 
• What do students who enter university hope? 
• What are the unemployment statistics like? 
• How do the students feel? 
• What does the first student say? 
• What kind of job does the second student think you can find in Spain? 
• Would the first student like to come back to Spain if he has to leave? 
• Is youth unemployment high just in Spain? 
• Is youth unemployment a problem just for students and graduates? 
• Who should be a dynamic sector of the population? 
• Why aren’t they a dynamic sector? 
• What is so vital to Europe’s chances of getting out of this current economic crisis? 
• What’s wrong then? 

SOME NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:

• Spanish youth urged to seek work abroad
• Spanish youth hit by unemployment crisis
• Spain's lost generation: youth unemployment surges above 50 per cent
• Immigration: The First problem in Spain
• Recession is testing Spanish tolerance of high immigration
• Immigration and economy fuel Spanish anxiety

VIDEOS

Spain unemployment rises for 8th month

Spanish unemployment has risen for the eighth month in a row as the country's government signal more spending cuts in its latest budget.

Spain falls back into recession

Spending cuts and unemployment leave little hope of returning to growth as Spain falls into recession again and many of the country's banks are downgraded by ratings agency, S&P

Spain’s unemployed youth pass the time

The towns and villages of Andalusia might be among the most picturesque in Spain, but they're also the hardest hit by the county's economic problems. The region has the highest unemployment rate in Spain, with one third of its population out of work.

WORKPLACE, JOBS: LISTENING WITH SCRIPTS

LISTENING WITH SCRIPTS AND VOCABULARY

• TALL PEOPLE EARN MORE 
• BRITISH JOB LOSSES 

LISTENING WITH DOWNLOADABLE SCRIPTS

• PULLING A SICKIE (PRETEND TO BE ILL SO AS NOT TO GO TO WORK) 
• STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE