Young people in the EU cannot afford to pay the bills. “They are most at risk of poverty”

In the European Union, over 6% of young people, i.e. people aged 15-29, experience severe material and social deprivation – alarms the European statistical office. It occurs when you cannot afford to meet at least seven of the list of 13 needs that are considered necessary to ensure an adequate quality of life.

Youth poverty in the EU. Austria and Estonia at the top of the list, Romania at the bottom

We are talking here about individual needs – e.g. replacement of damaged clothes for new ones, purchase of footwear appropriate for the season, Internet access or the ability to go out with friends at least once a month, as well as related to the household, such as payment of overdue bills, timely repayment of a loan, the possibility of covering unexpected expenses, going on a weekly trip taking a vacation or allowing yourself at least every other day a meal containing meat, fish or a vegetarian equivalent.

The level does not always have to depend on the level of income itself, but on the ability to lead a decent life. The situation of a person who earns less but lives in their own apartment is completely different than that of a person who earns a higher salary but has to pay for rent. Statistically, young Romanians are in the worst situation in the EU, where already every fourth person experiences material problems, and Bulgarians and Greeks do not have it easy either. Germany is in the middle; material and social deprivation is experienced by almost 5% of young people.

Poland is in the group of 11 countries where the situation of young people is relatively good, and the percentage of young people at risk of poverty is less than 3%. Young Austrians and Estonians are in the best position in the EU, with the result below 1%.

Poverty in the EU. Young people blame the economic crisis for poor finances

Young people mainly blame the economic crisis for their situation. – The poverty rate among young people is high because they face a double burden. On the one hand, it is poorly paid work and constant job insecurity, on the other hand, it is the lack of or limited access to social benefits – says DW Alex Quinn from the European Youth Forum in Brussels.

Alex Quinn explains that jobs in the so-called the gig economy, e.g. on platforms such as Uber or Bolt, does not provide young people with the necessary social protection. For example, they are not entitled to benefits or health insurance. – As a result, young people continue to be at the top of the table when it comes to the risk of poverty – adds an expert of the European Youth Forum.

Statistics show that the risk of poverty is higher for younger people (15-24 years old), i.e. those just entering the labor market, than for those aged 25-29.

– The current situation is a reflection of the pandemic crisis, the war in Ukraine and the deterioration of the economic situation across the EU – explains Krzysztof Pater from the European Economic and Social Committee, Minister of Social Policy in Marek Belka’s government, in an interview with DW.

– This mainly affects young people who are just entering the labor market, who either do not find a job at all, which automatically causes them to end up in a group at risk of poverty, or find unregistered work, without social security – lists the politician and warns that longer such a state increases the risk of permanent exclusion and may lead, for example, to homelessness. Eurostat data show that a large proportion of young people at risk of poverty live at home with their parents, but usually they are households with very low work intensity, i.e. where most adults do not work.

Experts say that the situation of young people has worsened during the pandemic. It is estimated that one in six young people lost their job then. – Young people have been affected much more by the crisis than the rest of society. Not to mention that the pandemic has exacerbated youth inequalities, hitting young women more than young men, people from marginalized communities more than others – says Alex Quinn from the Forum.

The European Parliament for increasing the minimum wage in the member states. “Employers can’t afford to hire”

tries to counteract the phenomenon of poverty and social exclusion among Europeans, including young people. The European Parliament recently voted in favor of legislation to increase and expand the possibility of applying for social support also for young people in the Member States. Some experts, however, are skeptical about these proposals.

– I am critical of income regulations because they can make employers simply unable to afford to hire. I am rather in favor of sealing the tax system and sealing the labor market so as to combat the shadow economy, says Krzysztof Pater from the EESC.

MEP Łukasz Kohut (New Left) from the parliamentary committee for culture and education says that it is largely up to the member states what opportunities they offer to young people. – The role of the state is to give the excluded a chance to get out of poverty. Opportunities for young people to compete with their peers from the West. This requires education at the highest level says the politician. And he emphasizes that the Union runs programs such as Erasmus or DiscoverEU, thanks to which young people get to know other countries and cultures.

Young people themselves see their chance in improving working conditions and social protection. – To reduce disparities, governments will need to ensure that young people have the same access to social protection and welfare as the general public. It also requires fair pay, fair conditions and fair representation to be extended to all forms of work. All the more so that young people make up a large proportion of people working in insecure and low-paid forms of employment – assesses Alex Quinn.