Many commentators cite Egypt and Tunisia’s severe youth unemployment problem as one of the main contributors to the recent uprisings seen in each respective country. For instance, the chief of the International Monetary Fund reflected on Tuesday that the high level of youth unemployment in Egypt and Tunisia was a “ticking time bomb”.
There were likely several factors that led to the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia including displeasure about high food prices, economic inequality, government repression, government corruption, high levels of youth unemployment, etc. Nevertheless, if the youth unemployment problem was a major contributor to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt (as many commentators would suggest) then several European countries should be concerned because their youth unemployment problem is arguably as bad as Egypt and Tunisia’s (or even worse in some cases).
The youth unemployment rate (the unemployment rate for those 25 years old and younger) in Tunisia and in Egypt was estimated to be approximately 30% and 25% respectively. The youth unemployment rate in Tunisia and in Egypt is very high compared to the 13% global average. However, youth unemployment levels in Tunisia and in Egypt are comparable to the youth unemployment levels seen in some major European countries. The following list shows the youth unemployment rates for several major countries around the world [1]:
- Australia: (August 2010): 18%
- U.S.A: (August 2010): 19.1%
- Canada: (January 2011) 14.4%
- Britain: (January 2011): 20.3%
- France: (December 2010): 24.6%
- Germany: (December 2010): 8.6%
- Greece: (October 2010) 34.6%
- Portugal: (December 2010): 21.7%
- Spain: (December 2010): 42:8%
- Italy: (December 2010): 29.0%
- Ireland: (December 2010): 29.1%
Five of the highest youth unemployment rates on the list are coincidentally associated with five European countries that are experiencing major fiscal and debt crises: Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Ireland. If high levels of youth unemployment played a major role in sparking the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as some suggest, then people should be quite concerned about the prospect for future unrest in these five countries-as they struggle with their fiscal and debt problems-since they too have a large number of (unhappy) young people without work.
People should be aware that there is a widespread youth unemployment problem and that there is potential for this problem to become a destabilizing factor in many areas around the world in the future if/when conditions deteriorate worldwide.
- Bloomberg Business Week has a new, lengthy article on what they call “The Youth Unemployment Bomb” which threatens to cause problems globally if it is not defused. The article includes the following quote from a George Mason University sociologist about why people should not completely ignore the problem:
"Educated youth have been in the vanguard of rebellions against authority certainly since the French Revolution and in some cases even earlier"
The Bible suggests that we are supposed to see political instability or “commotions” prior to the Second Coming of Christ.
- Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Therefore, we should not be surprised to see political unrest arise around the globe because it must happen: “these things must first come to pass”. The current youth unemployment problem may play a role in helping to create the coming global political unrest as it seems to have played a role in Egypt and Tunisia’s unrest and it is a problem that is prevalent in many areas of the world.
Note
[1] Governments tend to understate the unemployment rate, so it would not be surprising if these rates understated the true level of youth unemployment in these countries
