YOUTH POLICY

Youth and employment

The government aims to reduce the number of school dropouts. Unemployed youth do not receive benefits until they are 27 years old; instead, they are offered a combination of work and education by their municipality.

Young people in The Netherlands are obliged to attend school until they are 18 years old, or have achieved a starting qualification (a mbo2 or a havo-/vwo secondary school diploma).

Restrictions on working under 18

Young people under the age of 18 years are restricted in the types of work they are allowed to do. There is also a legal limit on the number of hours they are allowed to work per day. Internships, vacation jobs and part-time work are allowed within these limits.

Youth unemployment

During times of economic crisis such as currently, young people are especially vulnerable. Bringing down youth unemployment is therefore an important goal of the Dutch government. This is achieved by on the one hand taking measures to avoid school dropout. On the other hand, programmes have been set up to encourage unemployed youths to receive further education, for instance in the form of on-the-job experience.

Reducing the number of school drop-outs

The School Ex-programme aims to decrease the amount of school dropouts, especially among participants of mid-level vocational studies (mbo). Mbo graduates with moderate to poor job perspectives are encouraged to enrol in further studies, to increase their chances on the job market. Alternatively, they can get on-the-job training, also increasing their chances of quickly finding work.

Better prospects for unemployed youth

The rate of youth unemployment varies strongly between different parts of the country. The government has therefore chosen a regional approach, where local municipalities along with schools, knowledge centres and the Uitkeringsinstantie Werknemersverzekeringen (link) (UWV), responsible for paying out benefits to the unemployed) cooperate to create job experience schemes, internships and to match companies looking for employees with potential candidates. This gives young people much-improved prospects on the job market.

No benefits for unemployment youth

Young people under the age of 27 do not receive unemployment benefits. Instead, the Investing in Youth Act obliges municipalities to offer them work or further education. If the young person chooses further education, he or she is paid a benefit (in Dutch: Bijstand) comparable to what the long-term unemployed receive.