Give Youth a Chance: An Agenda for Action
GLOSSARY
This document defines over 45 concepts used by the MIF Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship
Agenda. These concepts are divided into the 6 following sections: (I) Beneficiaries, (II) Skills, (iii)
Education, (iv) Employment, (V) Entrepreneurship, and (VI) Other key concepts.
(I) BENEFICIARIES
Youth: People between the ages of 15 and 24.1 The concept of “youth” differs from the concept of
“young people”, which is used to refer to the composite age range of 10-24 years old. In practice, the
terms “adolescent”, “youth” and “young people” tend to be used interchangeably. Within this category,
and according to the different social, psychological, and health situations faced by the person, the
following sub-divisions by age are made: (i) puberty, initial or early adolescence, initial youth (10-14
years old), (ii) middle or late adolescence, intermediate youth (15-19), and (iii) full youth (20-24).2 Age
ranges are estimates; different organizations and governments adopt their own definitions and age
limits for children, adolescents, young people and youth. For the MIF, "youth" encompasses the group
of people between 16 and 30 years old.
At-risk youth3: Young people involved, or at risk of getting involved, in risky behaviors (dropping out of
school, neither working nor studying, teen pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse, etc.).
Poor and vulnerable youth4: Young people who, individually or as a family, do not have the resources to
meet their basic needs, i.e., they have little or no access to: (i) housing that ensures minimum standards
of habitability, (ii) basic services that ensure an adequate level of health, (iii) basic education, and (iv)
financial ability to cover the basic family basket. This group is also referred to as poor and low-income
youth.
Disadvantaged youth5: Young people who are more likely to be marginalized and excluded as compared
to other youth. The term "disadvantaged" takes into consideration economic factors (such as income
level and lack of experience and/or knowledge of the formal labor market), social factors (such as sex,
race, ethnicity or migrant status), and geographic isolation, which hinders access to quality education
and employment opportunities. This group is also referred to as "vulnerable youth." 6
1
UN, 1985; ILO, 2010
WHO, 1986
3
MIF, 2012
4
As cited in “A Renewed MIF Vision: The Next 10 Years”, 2013, “vulnerable” refers to populations who earn
between US$4-10 a day and are at high risk of falling back into poverty. Definition from Ferreira, et.al. Economic
Mobility and the Rise of the Latin American Middle Class, World Bank, 2013.
5
ILO, 2011
6
See the definition of “vulnerability” in “Section VI: Other key concepts”.
2
1
NEET7: Youth who are not in employment, education, or training.
NININI8: Youth who are not in education or employment and are not looking for a job.
The estimated number of NEET or NININI serves as a complementary measure of a country’s youth
unemployment rate; it signals the number of young people who could enter the labor market or the
educational system. In some countries, these two concepts can have a negative connotation. In that
case, the term "opportunity youth"9 is increasingly being used to refer to this group. The latter
acknowledges the untapped potential that these young people represent to their countries socioeconomic growth.
Program dropout: Youth who drop out of a project’s activities, for whichever reason, even if related to
employment or return to school.
Discouraged youth10: Youth who are physically and mentally fit to work, but do not have a job or seek
one (and therefore cannot be classified as unemployed) because they feel that there are no jobs
available to them. The term ‘discouraged’ implies a feeling of ‘abandonment’. Discouraged youth have
given up the hope of finding a job for reasons such as feeling that s/he lacks the proper qualifications,
does not know where or how to look for a job, or feels that there is no suitable employment available. It
could be said that discouraged youth are “involuntarily” inactive.
Working poor11: A person who, in spite of being employed, has a consumption or income level below
the international or national poverty line.
(II) SKILLS
Life or basic skills12: Skills related to behaviors, or that arise from personality traits. These skills can be
divided into two types: cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are related to (a) cognition
(related to a person’s IQ), and (b) knowledge (mathematics, language) which enables academic learning
(e.g. specific skills such as recognizing and implementing information obtained during an induction
process; structuring ideas clearly; recognizing and locating a company’s documents; recognizing and
evaluating their skills). Non-cognitive skills include: (a) interpersonal skills (e.g., establishing verbal
communication, responding to verbal instructions accurately, listening sympathetically, establishing
clear communication for group work), (b) psychomotor skills (e.g., vocalizing clearly, having safe body
language, coordinating movements), and (c) attitudes and values, also referred to as "soft skills" (e.g.,
self-assessing possibilities accurately and objectively, having initiative, positively assessing skills, being
entrepreneurial, honest, punctual, clean, taking care of one’s personal image).
7
Based on the definition of the Sociometro BID
Based on the definition of the Sociometro BID
9
FSG, 2013
10
ILO, 2009
11
ILO, 2012
12
PAHO, 2001
8
2
Specific Skills (technical or functional) 13: They include specific knowledge and skills to perform a
concrete task or function.
Supply and demand skills gap14: Gap between the skills possessed by job seekers and those required by
employers.
(III) EDUCATION
Education15: Organized and sustained communication designed to bring about learning.
- Formal education: education that is institutionalized, intentional and planned through public
organizations and recognized private bodies, which together constitute the formal education system of
a country.
- Non-formal education: education that is institutionalized, intentional and planned by an education
provider. The defining characteristic of non-formal education is that it is an addition, alternative and/or
complement to formal education within the process of lifelong learning of individuals.
- Vocational education: education programs that are designed for learners to acquire the knowledge,
skills, and competencies specific to a particular occupation, trade, or class of occupations or trades. Such
programs may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships, dual-system education programs).
Coverage: The proportion of students served in an educational level relative to the demand.
Graduation efficiency16: The estimated number of students who graduate from a certain level or type of
education in a given school year for every 100 new students enrolled at the selected educational level or
type. This helps to understand how many students are finishing a particular grade on time.
School dropout: The percentage of students who drop out of school during the school year
(intracurricular) and/or between years, i.e., finish one year but do not return to begin a new school year
(intercurricular). It is the combination of both types of dropouts.
Certification (of competences) 17: The process of formally validating knowledge, know-how and/or
competencies acquired by an individual, following a standard assessment procedure. Certificates or
diplomas are issued by accredited awarding bodies.
Vocational training18: Services and activities aimed to support people, of any age or in any moment of
their lives, to make education, training and employment choices, and manage their careers.
13
IDB, 2012
Adapted from the IDB definition, 2012
15
UNESCO, International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), 1997 y 2011
16
http://www.inee.edu.mx/bie_wr/mapa_indica/2010/PanoramaEducativoDeMexico/AT/AT02/2010_AT02__iAvinculo.pdf
17
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), 2002
14
3
School-to-work transition19: The passage of a young person from the end of schooling to the first
regular or satisfactory job. The young person is considered:
-
-
-
“Transited”: when s/he is currently employed in: (i) a regular and satisfactory job; (ii) a regular
but non-satisfactory job; (iii) a satisfactory but temporary job; or (iv) in satisfactory selfemployment.
“In transition”: when s/he has one of the following statuses: (i) currently unemployed; (ii)
currently employed (wage & salaried worker) with no contract; (iii) currently employed in a
temporary and non-satisfactory job; (iv) currently self-employed and unsatisfied; or (v) currently
inactive and not in school, with an aim to look for work later.
“Not yet transited”: when s/he is in either of the following situations: (i) still in school; or (ii)
currently inactive and not in school, with no intention of looking for work.
Work-to-education transition: The return of a young person, who dropped out of the education system,
to school. This usually happens when the young person realizes that s/he has to go back to school to
improve her/his employment possibilities.
Support/activities socio-labor: Activities aimed at promoting opportunities related to learning and the
transition to the labor market.
Occupational project20: An action plan to improve a young person’s situation in relation to employment
and skills development.
Building an occupational project is a dynamic and open process that can be re-planned and adapted to a
person’s life situation. It includes the recognition of one’s own abilities, knowledge and skills (acquired
in academic and/or work environments, or in life), the assessment of the constraints that may impact
the opportunities for career development, the analysis of the productive context and the real
possibilities of the labor market in their context and requirements.
(IV) EMPLOYMENT
Labor intermediation21: Mechanisms and institutions that help to match jobs seekers with employers,
connecting labor supply with skills demand. It can include job placement services and/or career
coaching.
Job placement22: The effective articulation between labor supply and demand. Job placement services
help people, many of whom may be socially excluded, get integrated into the labor market.
18
OECD, 2004
ILO, 2009
20
ILO/CINTERFOR, 2004
21
RTI, 2012
22
Adapted from the IDB-MIF definition, 2008
19
4
Employability: Knowledge, professional competencies, and know-how that are applied in a specific work
context.
Employed: People who have worked at least one hour during a specified reference period (usually, the
week before the survey takes place), or who have a job, but have not worked for extraordinary reasons
(sickness, strikes, holidays). The self-employed are considered as “employed” if they are temporally
absent from their work during the reference period, but their enterprise continues to function.
Unemployed23: An economically active person who, during a specified short reference period, was: a)
without work; b) currently available to work; and c) actively seeking work through concrete actions. This
concept includes both previously employed people who are looking for work (unemployed) and people
who are looking for a job for the first time (aspirant), who are outside of the labor market, want a job,
have actively looked for a job within a four-week reference period and are available to start working
within the next 15 days; or who are outside of the labor market and have accepted a job that will start
within the next 15 days.
Underemployed24: Person who works less than 30 hours a week and is available and wants to work
more time.
Hidden unemployment25: Person who has a part-time job because he/she could not find a more suitable
position or because he/she became discouraged and stopped looking for a job.
Economically active population26: Comprises all people of either sex who furnish the supply of labor for
the production of goods and services during a specified time-reference period. The concept of “usually
active population” is used to measure a long reference period such as a year, and “currently active
population”, or equivalently, the “labor force”, to measure short reference periods such as one day or
one week.
Economically inactive population: Comprises all people who are of working-age, but do not participate
in the labor market, i.e., they are not working or looking for a job.
Vulnerable employment27: People who are employed under relatively precarious circumstances, which
puts them more “at risk” to the impact of economic downturns. Usually there is a strong connection
between vulnerable employment and poverty (with no formal employment arrangements or access to
social protection benefits or programs).
Decent work for youth28: Is defined as work that meets the following criteria: (i) has contractual
arrangements that meet the expectations of the young worker; (ii) qualifies as neither overemployment
nor underemployment; (iii) pays at or above the average monthly wage rate of young workers; (iv)
23
IDB Sociometro
IDB Sociometro
25
ILO
26
ILO, Laborsta
27
ILO, 2009
28
Adapted from the ILO definition, 2009
24
5
offers satisfactory job security (at least, a three-month contract); (v) offers the possibility for worker
participation in labor unions or associations of employer organizations; and (vi) offers benefits, among
which are paid sick and annual leave.
Employment with benefits: Employment that includes at least one of the following benefits: health
insurance, annual leave, paid sick leave, and maternity/paternity/adoption leave. It could be considered
formal employment or not.
Satisfactory employment29: It is a subjective concept, based on the jobholder’s self-assessment. It
implies a job that the respondent considers to “fit” his desired employment path at that moment in
time. The contrary is termed “non-satisfactory employment”, implying a sense of dissatisfaction with the
job.
Regular employment30: Employment that includes a stable contract with the employer organization
(permanent or of at least one year duration), which is also responsible for paying taxes and other social
security contributions and/or in which the contractual relation is compliant with national labor laws.
Internship31: Short-term work experience during which the learner (intern) receives training and gains
experience in a specific career area. Internships vary in duration and can be paid or unpaid. A “good”
internship includes at least three of the following: (i) contractual agreement (written), (ii) objectives and
clear tasks, (iii) social protection, and/or (iv) mentoring and supervision.
Qualifying labor experience: Refers to internships that have a minimum number of monthly hours
(ideally, not less than 80 hours per month, but can vary by context). Can be paid or unpaid.
Informal employment32: A concept used to refer to those jobs that generally lack basic social or legal
protections or employment benefits.
The concepts ‘informal employment’ and ‘informal sector’ refer to different aspects of the
informalization of employment. Informal employment is a job-based concept, and can happen in the
formal or informal sector, or at home. Informal sector refers to non-official commercial activities that
lead to fiscal evasion, and non-compliance with labor and other government and institutional
regulations. By and large, enterprises included in this sector are not formally constituted or registered.33
Employment in the informal sector refers to the total number of jobs within the enterprises from this
same sector.34
29
ILO, 2009
ILO, 1993
31
Adapted from the ILO definition, 2013
32
ILO, 2012
33
Adapted from the ILO and World Bank definitions
34
ILO, 2012
30
6
Self-employed35: A person whose remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or the potential
for profits) derived from the goods and services produced (where own consumption is considered to be
part of profits), and has hired one or more “salaried” employees on a continuous basis. He/she can be
working in the formal or informal sector.
Unemployment rate: Percentage of the economically active population that is unemployed.
Youth unemployment rate36: The extent to which youth are available to work and are seeking
employment in a given economy. As youth often have little or no work experience, they usually suffer
higher unemployment rates and have fewer employment opportunities (often in jobs with low pay and
poor social protection) as compared with adults.
Youth employment-to-population ratio37: Share of youth unemployment rate to adult unemployment
rate. The ratio allows one to assess the lack of employment among youth compared with older job
seekers and thus hints at whether the economy is characterized more by demand deficiencies particular
to first-time jobseekers (i.e. an inability to absorb labor market entrants) or to turnover and
retrenchment of persons with jobs.
(V) ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneur38: A person that is (or wants to be) self-employed, or that started (or wants to start) a new
business in the formal or informal sector to generate income.
Necessity-driven entrepreneurs39: Entrepreneurs who have few or no other income generation or
employment opportunities, and thus become entrepreneurs to sustain their livelihood by necessity
rather than choice.
Opportunity-driven entrepreneurs40: Entrepreneurs who pursue a perceived market opportunity and
choose to start their own business, despite having the option of generating an income through
employment elsewhere at the time of starting a business.
Dynamic enterprise41: New or recent entrepreneurial ventures with potential to grow into at least a
medium-size enterprise given that it has some competitive advantage. Often such enterprises are
related to technology. Dynamic enterprises operate under a logic of accumulation, generating a level of
revenues far above those needed for the owners’ subsistence. Revenues are then invested into the
company, to further its development. Dynamic enterprises have growth levels above the sector’s
average. Dynamic entrepreneurs are different from “necessity-driven” entrepreneurs or the “self35
ILO, 1993
ILO, 2012
37
ILO, 2009
38
YBI, 2012
39
YBI, 2012
40
YBI, 2012
41
MIF, 2008
36
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employed”, whose objectives are limited to covering the entrepreneur’s and his/her family’s
subsistence, or to address the specific needs of selected disadvantaged social sectors.
(VI) OTHER KEY CONCEPTS
Empowerment42: Process of increasing the capacity and opportunities of individuals or groups to make
choices for themselves and transform these choices into their desired actions and results.
Collective Impact43: An approach to solve society’s problems based on the idea that no organization
alone can solve complex problems. A collective impact approach requires the commitment of a group of
actors — including government, civil society, business, and philanthropists- to coordinate their efforts
towards a clearly defined goal. Collective impact initiatives share five components: common agenda,
shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone
organization.
Systemic impact44: An objective that goes beyond the results of an individual intervention and instead
involves a large-scale, sustainable change in the thinking or behavior of individuals, policy-makers,
organizations or businesses.
Vulnerability45: A set of non-idiosyncratic characteristics that create weaknesses, disadvantages, and/or
problems for individuals, households or communities, impacting their performance or social mobility.
Such characteristics stop or hinder actors’ capacities to adapt to different social scenarios.
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-
ILO, Decent Work Indicators: Concepts and Definitions, 2012
ILO, School-to-Work transition survey: A methodological Guide. Module 4: Key indicators of
youth labour markets: Concepts, definitions and tabulations, 2009
ILO, School-to-work transition survey: Module 1: Basic concepts, roles and implementation
process, 2009
UN, General Assembly, 1985
FSG, Collective impact for opportunity youth, 2013
RTI, Thematic study of MIF youth projects, 2012
ILO,
Internships:
A
global
emerging
issue
(.ppt),
2013.
Available
at:
http://prezi.com/6rqlpfintzlx/internships/ (Last seen: July 8th 2013)
Kabeer, N., The Conditions and Consequences of Choice: Reflections on the Measurement of
Women Empowerment (No. 108). Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development, 1999
ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth, 2010
42
Kabeer, 1999
FSG, 2013
44
MIF
45
ECLAC, 2001
43
8
-
YBI, Youth entrepreneurship: A contexts framework, 2012
IDB, How can we improve Latin American youth’s job placement opportunities? Technical Note
IDB-TN-305, 2012
IDB, Disconnected: Skills, Education and Employment in Latin America, 012
OECD and the European Commission: Career guidance: A handbook for policy makers, 2004
WHO, Youth health: a challenge for society, 2000
MIF, Learning guide on dynamic entrepreneurs, 2008
ILO, Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93),
1993
CEPAL: Vulnerabilidad y grupos vulnerables: un marco de referencia conceptual mirando a los
jóvenes, 2001 (in Spanish only)
PAHO, Life Skills Approach to Child and Adolescent Healthy Human Development, 2001
BID-FOMIN, Programa Servicios Privados de Inserción Laboral, 2008 (presentación)
ILO, Increasing the employability of disadvantaged youth, 2011
ILO/CINTERFOR, Occupational project: A training methodology to improve employability, 2004
CEPAL, El método de las necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI) y sus aplicaciones en América
Latina, 2001 (in Spanish only)
9