The Problem of youth: The regulation of youth employment and training in advanced economies

The book covers the vocational training and employment of young workers in various advanced economies, including the large EEC economies, the US, Sweden and the Netherlands. The difficulty which young people face in acquiring skills and employment is outlined and assessed. The variety of structures governing the economic activity of young people is then analyzed from an institutional standpoint, considering the interests and strategies of employers, trade unions, governments and young people themselves. The contributions and limitations of market forces and deregulation, as applied to youth, receive special attention. Particular attributes of youth economic activity - vocational education, unemployment, public training policy and entry paths to skilled employment - are examined in the context of paired-country comparisons. The attitudes of young workers to trade unions and of trade unions to pro-youth public interventions are discussed in the Dutch and British contexts respectively.