Here is an image that sums something up for me. In the background is St Gallen Cathedral, religious centre and main tourist attraction of the canton. In the foreground is, right next to, even precariously close to the buildings is a basketball/five-a-side court. Religion and youth sports go hand in hand, not in a pernicious attempt to encourage youth into attending church but simply because activities for the youth are considered important and worthy of investment. Unemployment here is around 3%. That's right 3%. In the UK it is around 8%. Youth unemployment is around 5% here. It is around 30% in the UK. Now I don't wish to get into any economic arguments I don't fully understand but comparing where each country stands the biggest problem for the UK is a combination of cultural difference - the lack of investment in youth - and the massive public debt held by the UK, around double that of Switzerland.
Big news at the moment in the UK is the work experience/slavery recruitment initiative between large companies and the Government - see Ian Duncan Smith's irritating and poorly written article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2104022/The-delusions-X-Factor-sneering-job-snobs-betray-young.html
Here he outlines his vision of work in the 21st century - that stacking shelves in Tesco's in order to keep your benefits should be regarded as not demeaning but a positive way to be an active member of society. What this misses is that most, if not all young people on benefits are not there through choice, but are in fact actively looking for work that they have studied for, only to find that those jobs either don't exist or no longer exist due to the current government's mismanagement of the economy (allowing the banks to dictate policy, failing to invest in growth, allowing small businesses to fold, supporting big businesses as they expand and fill gaps left by failing small businesses, cutting NHS funding while looking to privatise, etc.). His idea that young people are workshy X-factor wannabe yobs is at least generalising at worst derogatory. Looking at some of the comments from right wing Daily Mail readers it seems even they balk at IDS's summary of the situation. It is amazing for him to comment, 'it’s small wonder that businesses have hired so many foreign nationals in the past decade or so. The fact is that they can’t find the employees of quality that they need from the available British workforce.' It's is not quality that is lacking (although how much quality do Tesco's need to stack shelves?), though the statement answers itself - more investment in education and training for from infants to uni would surely help this, it is that foreign nationals will generally work for less pay, and if they lack some ability to fully understand English they can often be blagged into working in poorer conditions - I am not saying foreign workers are stupid in any way, it is just large companies know what they are looking for in an employee - hence them signing up to this great deal to get their shelves stacked practically for free. The youth eventually become all to aware that success is not based on luck after buying the tenth scratch card in Tesco's Metro.
What is needed in the UK is a holistic approach to investment in youth - from parks, youth clubs, schools to opportunities for apprenticeships, FE courses, access to University and quality internships and work experience placements that do not teach young people that a life of work is the drudgery of shelf stacking or order picking - you may reduce idleness but you'll raise the suicide rate. Regarding X-Factor why is this show such a hit? Kids do nothing but watch TV because sports clubs are too expensive, parks are being bulldozed, youth club funding withdrawn, the streets are unsafe to play in, libraries are closing, and parents & schools fail to teach that books are important. Make life for the next generation more pleasant, and instill some respect and discipline now or they will never forgive you in the future.
When Youth unemployment rose in Switzerland in 2009 (to 6%) here is their approach - http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/internal_affairs/Economy_unites_to_fight_youth_unemployment.html?cid=67688
" We can't afford as a society to have a lost generation or a group falling out of the labour market. That's a social problem. "
Thomas Daum, director of Swiss Employers' Association
