The main barriers to using the “youth practice” mechanism as a tool to combat youth unemployment

Abstract

Youth is one of the vulnerable groups in the labor market in Kazakhstan. Low professional training, lack of necessary knowledge and skills, unwillingness of many employers to hire workers without work experience and high qualifications are the main barriers to youth employment. Kazakhstan is implementing a number of government measures to involve young people in educational and labor activities. One such tool is youth internships, which allow recent graduates to gain work experience and easily enter the labor market after graduation. This article provides an assessment of the main constraints and problems of the state project "youth practice" based on the analysis of secondary data and the results of an online survey. In addition, foreign experience of tools to promote youth employment is considered and recommendations are presented. The author came to the conclusion that the practical effect of state projects to support youth employment remains insufficient and requires the active involvement of employment services and employers, as well as raising youth awareness of the opportunities provided by the state. The results of the study are of an applied nature and can be used by government agencies in developing strategies to promote employment of the population.