Youth Unemployment and the Impact of a High Early School Leaving Rate on Society’s Development and Economic Growth

Through the socio-economic implications it generates, unemployment is a particularly complex social phenomenon, associated with poverty, leading to a significant reduction in living standards. It affects all sectors of the national economy. Economic reality has demonstrated that there is no single solution to unemployment. There are no pure and perfect ideas, only programs integrated into anti-crisis policies. The phenomenon itself cannot disappear but can only be managed.

The early school leaving rate indicator reflects the proportion of the population aged 18-24 with a low level of elementary education who do not pursue any form of formal or non-formal training within the total 18-24-year-old population. This indicator expresses the proportion of young people with a low level of education, essentially those at high risk of poverty, social exclusion, and marginalization. A high value of this indicator indicates the low efficiency of the education system and a reduced demand for education among the 18-24-year-old population.

School dropout leads to unemployment, social exclusion, poverty, and health problems. Personal or family issues, learning difficulties, precarious socioeconomic conditions, school environment, relationships between teachers and students, and overall living standards are just a few factors influencing school dropout.