Spain is the EU country with the highest proportion of young people between 25 y 35 years who have not completed their Baccalaureate studies or its equivalent Medium Grade FP. They keep, at most, the ESO title, but no more. They are a 27% (he 32% of the boys and the 21% of girls) who leave school as soon as they are allowed, upon finishing compulsory education at the age of 16, and do not return to training afterwards. They therefore begin their journey in the labor market with a lack of qualifications that takes its toll on them in all areas of their lives. The data is important in times of lifelong learning, since it points to a failure of the system when it comes to re-engaging them. The percentage doubles the 12% which is registered on average in all European countries and the 14% what’s in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The OECD presented its annual report this Tuesday around the world Overview of Educationn, almost half a thousand pages of data and statistics that x-ray the state of classrooms in thirty countries. Work affects a relevant problem in Spain: there are many students who are reluctant in school and do as little as possible, obtaining a qualification that is below what is required to find a job. And that condemns them to unemployment: a youth unemployment in which Spain also breaks records.
The data revealed by the OECD is different from the indicator of early school leaving, which measures the percentage of students between 18 and 24 years old who have not continued studying beyond the 4th year of ESO. By focusing on the youth population between 25 and 34 years old, this international organization goes further and investigates how those same kids who hung up their books prematurely and who in 2012 represented the 24% of the population of that age. Now it is a little more, 27%. It is, therefore, an early school dropout. on a delayed basis.
The more educational stages young people complete, the OECD warns, the better salaries they receive and the better quality of life they have. They even eat better and are more willing to participate in democratic life and demonstrate greater civic commitment. Of course, they are more likely to be employed. The report says that there is a 17% of young people who neither study nor work, the so-called ninis. “This is a population group of particular concern due to its great vulnerability and is associated with lower long-term employment rates and wages, poor mental health and social exclusion,” warns the OECD.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that, in ninisSpain be, with Italia (24%) the European country that is worst in ninis. The proportion has been reducing in recent years (17% in 2022 was 20% in 2021), but we are still above the OECD average (14.7%) and the EU (13.7% ). “This data indicates that in the labor market there are young people who cannot find employment and do not react by improving their training,” he explains. Ismael Sanz, Professor of Applied Economics at the Rey Juan Carlos University and visiting professor at the London School of Economics.