Plight of the NEETs - a global phenomenon

Washington

AMONG the economic and social trends worth worrying about is the fate of the NEETs. Never heard of the NEETs? I hadn't either. It's one of those clumsy terms concocted by government bureaucrats and social scientists to designate a group, social condition or political problem - and then to make it obscure by wrapping it in jargon. NEETs refer to young people who are "neither employed nor in education or training". There are roughly 39 million NEETs in 33 of the world's advanced industrial countries, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

I have written before about the problems of America's millennials - young adults born after 1980. They are the victims of poor timing and indifferent public policies. Coming of age in a harsh economy, they find it hard to get work (especially work for which they're qualified). By the millions, they're living with parents and postponing marriage, children and home-buying. Many are burdened with heavy student loans. Those with jobs subsidise their usually better-off elders through Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.