This study will analyse the factors leading to youth exclusion from the labour market at the local level and review the programmes and locally differentiated national measures put in place to support youth in the school-to-work transition, labour market integration, retention and progression. It will identify and assess multi-dimensional area-based strategies to facilitate youth employment and youth entrepreneurship.

The so-called NEET (neither in employment, nor in education or training) at high risk of drifting into long-term unemployment and exclusion. Early years education, support with school-to-work transition can reduce the distance from the mainstream labour market. In the same time, adopting a wider approach by tackling multi-generational poverty, improving spatial planning to reduce isolation and to strengthen local social capital, and bringing economic development and entrepreneurship to deprived areas can bring significant results. 

The ‘poorly integrated new entrants’ (young people often with diplomas but with difficulties in finding stable employment). Providing clearer pathways into employment, tackling the demand side barriers; but also working with employers on retention and progression schemes can help to address the specific needs of this group. 

Good performers: university graduates who, in normal times, do not have particular difficulty in finding a job, but not always have a job that matches their qualifications (low demand for high skills), or who leave the regions to look for better employment possibilities (loss of skills through talents flight). Broader skills and economic development strategies should address this demand/supply mismatch and provide opportunities for skills utilisation of graduates by flagging the opportunities in the emerging sectors.

Literature review to: i) distil lessons from the past on what worked and what didn’t during previous recovery periods in terms of creating stable employment for the young, ii) analyse how the current context is different.

An international call for case studies in OECD Members and non-Members to identify current barriers to youth employment and innovative local youth employment strategies including their financing mechanisms. Identification of success criteria of such strategies.

Workshop to be held at the OECD LEED Trento Centre will review issues emerging from international case studies.

International conference on "Building quality jobs in the recovery", 13-14 October 2011, Dublin, Ireland.

Assessment of local performance and capacity to support youth employment and youth entrepreneurship in selected localities against criteria identified in phase 1 of the project.

Workshops hosted by interested countries, regions or cities participating in above assessment.

A synthesis report including country case studies will be prepared analysing the factors leading to youth exclusion from the labour market at the local level and assessing multi-dimensional area-based strategies to facilitate youth employment and youth entrepreneurship. The report will be published by the OECD.