Youth Employment in Cyprus

1. Youth Employment in Cyprus

2. Labour Market Situation • Conditions of nearly full employment with high participation and employment rates • Employment rate (2006): 69.6% overall (men: 79.4%, women: 60.3%) • Unemployment rate (2006): 4.5% overall (men: 3.9%, women: 5.4%) • Main Challenge: Young persons employability (age 15-24 years old) : • Low employment rates (2006): 37.4% overall (men: 41.0%, women:34.1% ) • High unemployment rates (2006): 10.0% overall (men: 8.9%, women: 11.1%)

3. Enhancement and modernization of Public Employment Services (1) • Measure Promoted by the Department of Labour • Aim: The development of structures that will contribute to the implementation of a preventive and employability-oriented strategy • PES will be moving towards active engagement with workers and employers leading to the elimination of inefficiencies and imbalances in the labour market. • Provision of quality and timely services to the public and a more personalised approach to job-seekers and those to belong to vulnerable social groups, eg young persons

4. Enhancement and modernization of Public Employment Services (2) • Activities include • Modernisation and upgrading of buildings of the District Employment Offices and the gradual expansion of the Offices network • Introduction of information technology systems • Enhancement of PES in terms of additional personnel and training, so that the Services are able to offer preventive, personalised and quality services.

5. Personalized Approach Service • Aim: Help young job seekers and those who belong to vulnerable groups, including young unemployed, women wishing to enter the labour market, recipients of public assistance and persons with disabilities to integrate or reintegrate into the labor market and secure their sustainability in the market for the long term. • Recruitment of Employment Counselors trained to provide active support to vulnerable groups

6. Employment Counselors • Sketch the personal profile of each job-seeker • Draft a respective and bilaterally agreed upon Personal Action Plan for employment • Consider the special skills, educational level the needs for vocational training and education of job seekers • Provide career guidance come into contact both with the job seekers as well as with businesses for their effective interconnection. • Monitor the course of accession of the user of this structures system of services into the productive process until he/she is settled in an employment post

7. Provision of Information for training and Employment Opportunities • Provision of information on available training programmes and employment schemes • Promotion of appropriate programmes focusing on training of the youth in occupations with high demand and with a simultaneous emphasis on information and communication technologies (ICT).

8. Conduction of a Study concerning young persons • Aim: Analysing the current labour market situation of young persons • Providing suggestions for the development of targeted programs for promoting the employment of young persons

9. Introduction of Self Service in PES • Introduction of new information technology systems which: • Provides the potential of self-service in searching/securing a job • Acquiring information for occupations and opportunities for training and employment

10. Training of Personnel • Participation of all PES personnel in training programs with the aim to increase their ability to offer services of high quality • Study visits/ placements of PES personnel in other PES abroad with the aim of mutual learning and the exchange of good practices

11. Vocational guidance • Aim: the provision of high quality carrer/ vocational guidance • Development of specialised methods and tools for vocational guidance which will be provided within the framework of the provision of personilised approach services.

12. Thank you for your attention