In an effort to raise awareness and combat youth unemployment, Adecco will be hosting Way to Work Street Day events worldwide during the month of March. This global initiative allows our colleagues the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get out into the communities where they work – providing career advice to recent graduates and those looking for a job.
Adecco believes that the right to work is universal and that people entering the job market for the first time should start off on the right foot. We also believe that a knowledgeable, global citizen has a vested interest in arming people with the tools they need to succeed in the workforce. That’s why Adecco colleagues around the globe will be taking to the streets armed with tips on how you can improve upon the hard and soft skills that today’s businesses and hiring managers are demanding.
Youth (un)employment across the world
As the world experiences sluggish economic growth in the wake of the financial crisis, the issue of youth unemployment is becoming more and more of a hot topic. In fact, although unemployment has impacted many different demographics throughout the United States, the youth joblessness figures are more than double that of the national unemployment rate (approximately 12.2 percent for 16-24 year olds) – compared to the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent.
In the European Union, the average is 21.9 percent youth unemployment with countries like Spain, Greece, Croatia and Italy reporting figures higher than 40 percent. Sadly, the International Labor Organization estimated that 74 million young people worldwide were jobless in 2014 and an official from the International Youth Foundation alleged that an imperfect reporting system means that the number was probably 6-7 times that in reality. Given the state of youth unemployment – Adecco is here to help!
So what is happening in March?
Throughout the month of March, Adecco will be hosting events worldwide aimed at arming first time jobseekers with the tools they need to succeed in the workforce. In addition to various events happening throughout Europe on March 26, Adecco’s flagship event in the United States will be held Wednesday, March 25 at the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville, Florida.
Those in attendance at UNF’s Ringhaver Student Center will have the opportunity to access useful career tips and resume advice, as well as have a professional headshot taken in our LinkedIn photo booth. Local businesses will also be on hand offering on-the-spot summer internships and participants will have the chance to apply for our coveted CEO for One Month (paid) summer internship. It’s a great opportunity to have fun while taking steps toward setting yourself apart from the competition. We hope to see you there!