Young People Out of Work

In nature, green vegetation appears weak; when it becomes impoverished those who like to eat are faced with problems. Keeping this in mind when all the parts of the ecosystem work together harmoniously all benefit. Industry also benefits when the ecosystem is healthy. In the 'View from the Ark' of the Catholic Times, a  Catholic Medical School professor begins his article with the above words.

Society in this competitive system in which we live is continually searching for profits. Victors become blind to the groans  of those they don't see on the peripheries.

One of biggest problems that confront the ecosystem is our large number of young people out of work which doesn't predict a bright  future. They spend precious years of their youth looking for work. Depending on the workplace the ratio for work can be as high as 100:1 or 10:1. Many spend their time preparing for exams or getting the necessary specialty training they feel they need for their job: not a healthy situation.

What is of interest says the professor is the companies are in need of workers to fill spots. More than money lack of workers is a problem. He mentions a survey made in which the  majority of the CEOs  mentioned the lack of workers is the biggest problem. Why then do we have the problem with unemployment?

Most of the companies have  the full complement of workers but they are not all that they want. Industry has looked for workers with the specifications they need it is time now to train and educate those they need.

In Korea, temporary workers number two-fold in comparison to other developed countries; full-time workers are half of the other OECD countries. It's not  they don't need workers but they seek to fill the slots with cheap labor and this is the practice we have become habituated to in recent years.

During the years of economic development, the government helped  the industrial sector with wealth. The accumulation of this wealth was to help the citizens to a better living. Consequently, it is now the time for industry to take an interest and not only be concerned with increasing profits but how to help the social ecosystem.

Companies have to start to see  workers as persons with dignity and not to be used as instruments to increase efficiency and the margin of profit by making them temporary workers and all the  other ways they keep them from become full-time workers. They have to begin training the workers for the jobs they need.

He concludes the article with the desire of pope Francis to see the start of a new ecosystem where he writes in Joy of the Gospel: "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"