Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans this week backed a European Parliament motion to tackle youth unemployment, calling on the Welsh Government to take greater action to deal with long-term youth unemployment in Wales.
The call follows figures released this week by the Office for National Statistics showing that the number of young people continually searching for work for more than twelve months is more than three times higher in June 2014 as when Plaid Cymru left the Welsh Government in 2011.
In Plaid Cymru’s European elections manifesto earlier this year, Jill Evans MEP called for Wales to adopt the Youth Jobs Guarantee for employment, education or training for all young people searching for work for more than four months.
The European Parliament motion supported by Jill Evans MEP calls for strong investment in education and training, as well as for quality and sustainable working contracts to tackle uncertain working hours, such as zero hours contracts.
Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans said:
“As a Plaid Cymru MEP, I have consistently called for a youth jobs guarantee that would provide employment, education or training for all young people aged between 18 and 25.
“We know that young people face substantial difficulties in finding properly paid work and getting experience, often finding a catch-22 where they can’t get work without experience and can’t get experience without work.
“That’s why it is important that those opportunities are provided, and why Plaid Cymru pushed for the creation of thousands of new apprenticeships in our Welsh Budget deal of 2012.
“However, under this Welsh Government, there are still three times as many young people long-term unemployed now than when Plaid Cymru were last in government.
“It is clear that there is still substantial work to be done in solving the structural employment issues in Wales – even with the economic situation improving.
“We know that every young person out of work, education or training costs the public purse £160,000 throughout their lifetime because they are more likely to need benefits and pay less tax, meaning that society misses out.
“Young people must be able to rely on their employment so that they can make ends meet – not just be casual labour to be used when their bosses call them. That is why Plaid Cymru continue to oppose compulsory and exploitative zero hours contracts.
“If we want a successful Wales, we cannot afford to leave young people behind.
“The Welsh Government should adopt the same Youth Jobs Guarantee as the rest of Europe and guarantee employment, education or training to any young person seeking work for more than four months.”
