Youth unemployment in rural areas remains a significant challenge in both EU and non-EU countries, though the severity and underlying causes vary. In the EU, rural youth often face limited job opportunities, lower wages, and a mismatch between skills and labor market demands, exacerbated by depopulation and aging communities. Many young people migrate to urban areas in search of better prospects, leaving rural economies struggling with labor shortages and declining innovation. EU initiatives are addressing these issues by promoting entrepreneurship, digitalization, and sustainable agriculture.
In non-EU countries, rural youth unemployment is often more severe due to weaker economic diversification, insufficient infrastructure, and limited access to quality education and vocational training. Informal employment dominates, offering little job security or social protection. Efforts to tackle this issue include international development programs, microfinance initiatives, and policies promoting rural industrialization. The key to improving rural youth employment lies in bridging the skills gap, enhancing digital and green economy opportunities, and supporting local entrepreneurship.
Recent research shows that the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3% in December 2024, up from 6.2% in November 2024 and down from 6.5% in December 2023. The EU unemployment rate was 5.9% in December 2024, up from 5.8% in November 2024 and down from 6.0% in December 2023. Rural youth are often more disadvantaged as they cannot afford higher education due to the costs of courses and living expenses in bigger cities. For example, Armenia’s youth unemployment rate for 2022 was 24.57%, a 0.19% decline from 2021. Italy’s rural youth unemployment rate for 2022 was 8.07%, a 1.43% decline from 2021.
The objectives of the training course are:
– To find solutions to the unemployment problem at personal, organizational, and community levels by monitoring real situations in different countries.
– To improve the abilities of youth workers, activists, and young people from rural areas to increase their chances of getting employed or starting their own projects.
– To provide tools and techniques to achieve low unemployment rates in rural areas.
– To challenge young people to understand the reasons for unemployment and related problems and start developing their skills.
– To empower young people through non-formal e
Unlocking Rural Youth Potential
Project ID: 2025-1-IT03-KA153-YOU-000301554
Start Date: 01-07-2025
End Date: 30-09-2026
Project Page: Search – Erasmus+ (europa.eu)
Topics:
- Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education
- Employability
- Community development
Coordinator:
Youmore APS
Partners:
- JOVESOLIDES Egypt
- Creo Común: Facilitando el Cambio
- Oficina Fermento-Cooperativa para o Desenvolvimento de Cidadania Ativa, CRL
- The Youth Centre for Civil Development
- Tomorrow Hub - Informal Group
- Yeghvard youth ecological NGO
- Youth Together Projects
