The Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB) participated to the European conference on “The Framework of Actions on Youth Employment – Achievements and Challenges Ahead”. The conference was co-organized by the European Employers and Trade Union Organizations, i.e. Business Europe, European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP), European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME) and European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The conference was held on the 20th of June 2017 in Brussels.
The purpose of the conference was to exchange good practices among the EU member States, evaluate current policies, and design future policies targeting the reduction of youth unemployment. OEB was represented by Mr. Polyvios Polyviou, Industrial Relations & Social Policy Officer, who presented the actions developed in Cyprus aiming at the effective reduction of youth unemployment.
Mr. Polyviou outlined the measures implemented in Cyprus, and explained the challenges the national productive forces had to face, especially during the difficult period following Eurogroup’s decision in 2013 for “bail-in”, with catastrophic consequences for the two largest banks of the country, the economy, enterprises and employment.
OEB’s representative noted that the global economic crisis provided the opportunity to implement structural reforms in education, especially in the technical and vocational training of young people, so that the knowledge and skills acquired meet the needs of enterprises and the labor market, taking into account the continuous technological advancements and new needs created.
In addition, Mr. Polyviou presented actions and policies for education and recruitment of young people by businesses and organizations through targeted Grants/Schemes that have been developed and are being carried out for this purpose, covering specific categories of unemployed young people (e.g. secondary education graduates, tertiary education graduates, etc.).
Finally, Mr. Polyviou pointed out that in the case of Cyprus, the social dialogue and the tripartite cooperation between Social Partners’ Organizations and the Ministry of Labour was the determining factor for the successful implementation of actions to reduce youth unemployment, effects of which have already begun to emerge. In times of crisis, social dialogue is an essential ingredient for successful management. Cyprus is a tangible example of this and we are particularly honored.
OEB will continue to closely monitor the developments in the field of youth unemployment, at the national and European level, with a view to recording best practices as well as making appropriate use of them by presenting suggestions for developing initiatives for the benefit of the youth and of our society as a whole.
