Only a third of graduates get a job immediately after completing their studies and a mere 4 percent of all the young workers withstand employer challenges for more than 5 years. Most of them are working in trade and retail, services and industry, and the fewest in sports, according to a recent survey on the state of employment among youth, Info-Prim Neo reports.
Dr. Dorin Vaculovschi, a co-author of the survey, stated that the number of employed youth in Moldova has decreased over the recent years as youth unemployment rates have rose alarmingly.
Almost a half (41 percent) of those who quit their jobs did so because of the inadequate salary, their wages ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 lei, and rarely exceeding 2,000 lei. The low salaries determine a third of the young people to choose a job other than what they were trained for in college.
The persons who accept a job differing from their grounding say that it is impossible in Moldova to find a job according to one’s professional abilities (33 percent). At the same time, 70 percent of the respondents say that the education their received in school and college are useless to them, while a quarter say that the employers are demanding more professional skills than those acquired in college.
Half of those working for themselves say they are doing it for a higher profit, adding that their earnings exceed a potential salary by far. Nearly 40 percent of the self-employed young persons say that their own businesses offer them the occasion to travel abroad.
The money to start a business in the case of 40 percent of the respondents was remitted by migrant relatives.
Corruption and local administration bureaucracy are the main reasons that impede the development of the businesses started by young persons.
The survey revealed that there are young persons who don’t want to work at all, at least not in Moldova (48 percent), or not for such low salaries (45.7 percent)
At the same time, the employers seem to be making every effort to recruit young personnel. Many of them prioritize the employment of persons under 30 years, choosing to resort to lay-offs among the older personnel, if needed. While many employers are satisfied with the performances of the young specialists, almost 60 percent believe that their theoretical education is much better than their practical skills.
Attending the launch conference of the survey, Deputy Economy and Trade Ministry Sergiu Sainciuc that the situation of the labor market is rather contradictory, as, statistically, there is one vacant job available for 1.2 unemployed. According to him, there is a large gap between the demand for jobs and the offer; vacancies are available mainly in urban areas while available hands are concentrated in rural areas.
“One might have the feeling that the level of pays for the youth is purposely kept low in order to create an impression that we have an attractive zone for foreign investment here…”, said the rector of the Moldovan Academy of Economic Studies (ASEM), Grigore Belostecinic. As long as the wages abroad remain more appealing, young people will have the urge to flee the country, he added.
The survey, carried out by a team of specialists in economy, ASEM staff, and commissioned by the National Employment Agency (ANOFM), says that, in order to improve the situation, the youth have to build an image of highly skilled personnel, the employers have to offer higher salaries and more incentives, and the Ministry of Education and Youth should partner up with the ANOFM to increase employment rates among the youth.
The survey on the state of employment among youth was conducted from April 22 to May 12 on a sample of 2,288 respondents from 17 districts, plus the municipalities of Balti and Chisinau, divided into two categories – individuals, ages 15 to 29, and entities.
