I read the Y20 2022 white paper, so that you don’t have to. What are youth most concerned about?

Ahead of Y20 Indonesia, youth in the G20 came together and wrote the Y20 2022 white paper.

This white paper is actually an open letter to the world, sharing their challenges and hopes in a raw manner. I applaud the dynamic Y20 team behind this paper and the Y20 summit.?

Almost 1 out of 2 youth are worried about working in an unstable job. A similar percentage are worried about not finding a job. This is not surprising, especially knowing how the pandemic has impacted youth employment. Young people, like all of us, crave for stability in this unpredictable world.

If I summarise the paper into one word, it would be “Employment”.

Challenges: Job insecurity has become the norm for young people.

This challenge has worsened due to the pandemic.?

In both developed and developing economies, increasing numbers of young people are working in the gig economy. In developing countries, the quality of these jobs are often poor.?

Also, the current safety nets are not adequate to protect these young people from informal and non-standard forms of employment. For example, unemployment benefits and other governmental schemes might not apply to this demographic, as they are usually designed to fit workers who have a regular full time job.

Here are the challenges listed in the white paper:

? Lack of access to public social services

? Barriers to Financing

? Limited awareness about social safety nets

? Nascent regularity support for alternative employment options

? Human resource and capacity building challenges for youth led enterprises

? Socio-cultural barriers faced by youth entrepreneurs

? Uneven development and opportunities gap for suburban and rural populations

Opportunities - Young people need support, so that they can participate in the economy with confidence.

“Everyone tells young people to take on a challenge, but the foundation for that challenge comes from a certain degree of stability. Access to a social safety net is important for young people to take on challenges with confidence.”??

- Youth from South Korea

Here are the opportunities/asks from the white paper:

? Stakeholder involvement in social safety net provision, led by governments

? Digital technology to increase accessibility

? Tailored income support for youth

? Build a more inclusive youth social entrepreneurship ecosystem

? Internet-based financing alternatives

? Government support and recognition for youth led social enterprises

? Build an integrated ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs

Conclusion: Young people want to play an active role in the economy, either through employment or through social entrepreneurship.?

This is the reason why Solve Education! is youth focussed. We work hard to link education to employability, and entrepreneurship is in our roadmap.

How can we all play a role in empowering our next generation?

You can read the full paper here: https://y20-indonesia.org/

I wish Y20 committee a successful conference in Bali!