71 Million Youth are Poor

There was a UN survey that found that some 71 million youth in the world are living below the poverty line. A portion of them are employed but are still considered poor since their pay is very little.

Are you classified under youth? Are you employed? Have you the education but unemployed or paid pittance? Are you living in a developed country yet cannot get a job?

By the way, how do we create enough jobs for 71 million not counting those who are out of job or had been retrenched?

Young people are the life blood of a nation. Without enough young people to take over from aging working population, nations will go into decline leading to more problems. Young people who are educated but are forced to wait for working people to retire are not getting any younger. If national governments keep extending the retirement age, more and more young people will be unemployed. Why can't the educated young be given a little piece of the cake?

Look at China. It is said that because of its one child policy, China will experience shortage of labour in the years to come. Some world leaders or so-called thinkers argue that the world is getting over-populated. The world cannot feed the increasing population. But St. Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata) had said that this was not true. There is always one more place for a child, she said.

Look at some developed countries who have not enough young people to replace the aging population. Sooner or later, they will go into decline. Developing nations will take over their place even as a super power. Many argue for sustainable development. But yet the majority are forgetting the young.

If the young are not given jobs and fast, how will national governments find the revenue to look after its aging population. There is a reason why people develop from babies to young men and women and to adults. The cycle has to go on so that mankind can continue to populate this earth. It means the survival of mankind. Once too much emphasis is given to one group among the population, it will create not only an imbalance which will jeopardise people's livelihood but will also put at risk the future of nations.

Policies have to be revisited. Outdated thinking has to be done away with. New laws may have to be enacted if necessary. With the right laws and policies in place, there is no reason why a good percentage of the 71 million young people can't be given job opportunities that raise their station in life above the poverty line.