One key issue in this respect is youth unemployment, as it prevents young people from playing a full and meaningful part in society. Indeed, despite being the best-educated generation ever, today’s young are paying a high price for the crisis. In Portugal, still now, around one-third of the young workforce is without job.
This seriously harms the economy, because these people who are willing but unable to work are being prevented from developing their skills. To avoid creating a “lost generation” we need to act quickly. Issues such as this illustrate clearly that the current economic recovery needs to be further supported by policymakers taking decisive action.