An increasing number of unemployed among those highly skilled and most productive

The most critical group of unemployed remain to be the young and those over the age of 55

30. december 2013 ob 19.56 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

The most critical group of unemployed remain to be the young and those over the age of 55 Foto: BoBo

An inventory of the social policies just before the end of the year reveals a declining number of those actively employed. On January 1st country’s active population was registered as employed, which is 0.8% less than a year before.

The number of those actively employed is in decline. The most critical group of unemployed remain to be the young and those over the age of 55. There is a tendency that the number of unemployed among those between 30 and 40 years of age will also increase. This category includes those with the highest qualifications and those most prepared to work.

The number of registered unemployed below the age of 29 has doubled from October 2008 to October 2013. However when we take a look at the figures for those aged between 30 and 39 years of age we find that in this category the number of unemployed has risen from 11
thousand to almost 28 thousand.

"I think we have a big problem. It is obvious that unemployment doesn't affect particular age groups in waves any more. It now encompasses all age categories," says union member Goran Lukič.

Those who gained work experience through student work represent the biggest part of the age group between 30 and 39. It is a group of people for which you don't hear a lot.

"Nobody takes interest in them. I'm sure the measures we have today, which deal with the young, are positive and effective if you're 25 years old. But if you're 30 years old, it's a catastrophe. We could say it's a case of intergenerational solidarity. The younger ones should realize that the state does treat them kindly because it sacrifices the older generations for them," says professor Miran Lavrič.

The Ministry of Labour is responsible for preparing active employment policy measures. This is the ministry’s answer to comments that the age group between 30 and 39 has been overlooked:

"We have particular priority target groups. However it is certainly not the case, that this age group would not be entitled to one of the different forms of our active employment policy," explained Anja Kopač Mrak, the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

New programs will be determined based on the period of time each individual spends as unemployed. At the same time the number of those permanently unemployed at the Employment Agency is on the rise. Permanently unemployed are those groups of people, unemployed for more than a year.