Youth employment law amendments proposed

  • 2013-06-26
  • From wire reports

NOTHING TO DO: A stagnant system leaves youth unable to find work through rules that block personal initiative.

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has proposed draft amendments to Employment, State Social Insurance and Health Insurance laws, which would allow for the possibility for youth to obatain employment independently, without any intermediary, and to gain work skills, reports ELTA.

The draft amendments to the Employment law provided by the president propose to empower persons aged 16 to 29 years to individually, without a go-between, conclude a practice, or internship agreement with an employer. The total period of such practice could be extended to 4 months per year. At the moment, Lithuania’s youth have the possibility to practice only in those companies or institutions which have concluded a tripartite agreement with the educational institutions.

Various surveys show that over 70 percent of university students look for such work on their own, since universities have not concluded enough tripartite agreements and do not ensure internship places for all students aspiring to one.
According to the latest data, youth unemployment in Lithuania is double the overall unemployment rate - currently 21.2 percent of youth in the country are jobless, while the overall unemployment rate is 12.5 percent.