JAKARTA (ILO News): The world is facing a growing youth unemployment crisis. The latest ILO data indicates that out of the world’s estimated 190.2 million unemployed people in 2008, around nearly 75.9 millions are aged between 15 and 24. In many economies, young people are more than three times likely to be unemployed than adults but in Indonesia youth are five times more likely to be unemployed than their adult counterparts.

In order to address these challenges, the Government of Indonesia with the support from the ILO has established the Indonesia Youth Employment Network (IYEN), involving senior policy-makers from different government agencies, the private sector and civil society.

To tackle challenges of youth employment and facilitate more effective government planning, the ILO in collaboration with The Indonesia Youth Employment Network (IYEN) will organize a two-day Youth Conference titled “Promoting Youth Employment: It is Everybody’s Business”, on Thursday - Friday, 23 – 24 April 2009, at Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta. The event will be opened by HE Erman Suparno, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration.

Targeted at policy makers and practitioners, the Conference will highlight practical experiences of good practices across Indonesia that help young people gain access to decent and productive work. The Conference will facilitate the planning process by identifying how youth employment policies can be mainstreamed into existing government policies and what strategies need to be developed to tackle specific youth unemployment issues. Another issue addressed by the conference is how local economic development can stimulate employment for young people. The findings will provide a means by which government at different levels can work with stakeholders including youth representatives to influence the content and direction of youth policies within Indonesia for the next five years.

The Conference will bring together national and provincial level governments and other stakeholders to develop effective operational strategies for tackling the problem of growing youth unemployment in Indonesia.

Alan Boulton, the ILO’s Director in Indonesia, said that today’s young people are the most educated generation and have clear ideas about fulfilling their aspirations at work and in society. They only need the chance of a decent job. Achieving decent work for youth is a challenge shared by all countries across the world but it is an especially big challenge for Indonesia. This Conference will play an important role in renewing commitments of stakeholders to tackling the complex challenges of youth unemployment, in revitalizing the secretariat of IYEN, and intensifying cooperation among relevant stakeholders, as well incorporating youth employment issues into the government’s policies.

The Conference will be divided into specific working discussions, covering various practical issues on youth employment, namely: unlocking the potential of sectoral strategies; preparing youth for work through support to vocational training; job and education career counselling, apprenticeship programme, fostering youth entrepreneurship; and improving access to decent and productive employment opportunities for youth. The Conference will also allow youth to share their aspirations and employment experiences including young people from DKI Jakarta, East Java, South Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Timur.

Participants in the Conference will come from governments, trade unions, the business community and employers’ organizations, academia, civil society and youth groups.

The Conference will make recommendations on how Indonesia can move forward in promoting youth employment policies and provide more decent work opportunities for young people.

For further information please contact:

Marcus Powell
Chief Technical Adviser of ILO’s Youth Employment Programme
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 141
Email

Rolly Damayanti
ILO’s Programme Coordinator
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 142
Email

Srinivas Reddy
Skills Specialist of ILO’s Education and Skills Training Programme
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 254
Email

Gita Lingga
Media Relations Officer
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Mobile: +62815-8845833
Email