After the exams: Give youth a fair chance at finding a job

TENS of thousands of young people will be looking at their Leaving Certificate results today and planning for the future. Many of them will choose to go on to third-level education but a sizable proportion will instead seek permanent jobs and hope that they will be able to earn a decent living.

For far too many young people, that dream of earning a living wage will not become reality.

While the general rate of unemployment in Ireland continues to fall, the number of jobless youth remains stubbornly and worryingly high. The National Youth Council of Ireland puts the figure at 20% while other agencies say it is between 16% and 18%.