Youth population; a time bomb in the making

[CTO114]

People tend to look towards the youth population of an economy as a yardstick to judge the future of that economy.

When the youth population is high, the thought is that skills, manpower, innovation is guaranteed having able individuals to take the economy to the next level, conversely, an economy with a low youth population could be seen as doom, hence governments try to have youth migration, when the population is inflow, and also mitigate it when the populist going out. This is keenly highlighted in youths migrating from developing economies to developed economies for greener pastures.

But when you critically look at this a high population doesn't necessarily guarantee a successful economic future, infact it can be seen as a potential economic time bomb.

Looking at it from the angle that, youths who have not developed skills hugely depend in the economy to provide employment, which then  amounts to economic instability, then you can agree that this could be a bomb waiting to explode, but when we have youth who have developed skill and making innovative moves, we can say that they are the engine of the economy.

The key here is the mentality to develope skills, curbing the need to be dependant on paid jobs, rather becoming employers to a large extent!

[Sammye3]

When the environment is not right for the youths, a high youth population would only meam more sufferings and poverty. The youths are known as the leaders of tomorrow but there are no significance to that old story in recent times. This is because even the government are filled with old people who feel to die with the power and authority they possess, so when do youths actually get the time to lead?

This is an economic problem that requires proper deliberation and remedies. When an environment does not support growth, it is only natural to leave that environment for greener pastures.

[Fiatless]

https://thebftonline.com/2024/04/23/global-trends-in-population-of-young-people/

The problem with this youth population growth is that developing nations would experience more. This means that more people with less access to education, skills, and capital would be the dominant youth population. This might be the reason why there is a high rate of immigration to developed nations because of poverty, insecurity, and other problems in developing nations.

If the necessary steps are not taken, this youth population growth with turn out to be a time bomb.

[Mhizlove]

In addition population is not advantage by itself rather what matters most is the quality of people that are inside the population, and talk about skills if high number of youths don't have opportunities or skills it can turn out to be pressure to the economy instead of strength but if they are skills, well educated, and aid to create value, that same youth population can still become a growth booster. So the focus should not be on the numbers of youths but how well they're prepared or ready innovate, contribute and create opportunities for themselves, others and the economy

[BIT-BENDER]

As a youthful person you are already naturally vibrant and dynamic especially in achieving goals that should better your financial status, as a youthful person you want to be self dependant and what you not look worse than your mates.
The problem I see is not that youth don't want to learn and become economically useful to themselves and their society but the problem is that the environment can easily change the youth.
Youth can easily be shaped by the environment they live in, a youth in an environment where drug is the only way to wealth will start selling drugs quickly and a youth who is from environment where robbery and prostitution is the way will easily do it.
If any country wants to tap it's youthful Energy efficiency they should start creating measures to sensitise the public and create better environment for their youth, better role models and education.

[Bluedrem]

Youth Youth power can play the most important role in the economy of a country. Because at that age, they are most enthusiastic and if they try to use themselves for the development of the country in that enthusiasm, then the development of the country is achieved due to their work. For this reason, the government of every country tries to utilize the youth power of its country, that is, take various steps for the youth, one of which is to provide them with various basic training and ensure that they can use that basic knowledge to work in the interest of the country.

[Fortify]

People tend to look towards the youth population of an economy as a yardstick to judge the future of that economy.

When the youth population is high, the thought is that skills, manpower, innovation is guaranteed having able individuals to take the economy to the next level, conversely, an economy with a low youth population could be seen as doom, hence governments try to have youth migration, when the population is inflow, and also mitigate it when the populist going out. This is keenly highlighted in youths migrating from developing economies to developed economies for greener pastures.

But when you critically look at this a high population doesn't necessarily guarantee a successful economic future, infact it can be seen as a potential economic time bomb.

Looking at it from the angle that, youths who have not developed skills hugely depend in the economy to provide employment, which then  amounts to economic instability, then you can agree that this could be a bomb waiting to explode, but when we have youth who have developed skill and making innovative moves, we can say that they are the engine of the economy.

The key here is the mentality to develope skills, curbing the need to be dependant on paid jobs, rather becoming employers to a large extent!

It's a bit hard to pick out what exactly you're calling a "bomb"? Sure, an ageing population creates difficulties for society and there seem to be many so-called developed countries that face this problem, which is often solved by immigration and this can draw younger generations in to fulfill certain roles. These roles can often be in care or jobs that the local population actively avoid, along with sometimes specialized jobs like doctors or dentists. I'm not sure about your idea that everyone young should be looking to be a company owner, because that simply does not work and is not what people want to do. There are plenty of companies out there where you would work your way up, building experience, into the senior executive positions and that has always been the case.

[WatChe]

In addition population is not advantage by itself rather what matters most is the quality of people that are inside the population, and talk about skills if high number of youths don't have opportunities or skills it can turn out to be pressure to the economy instead of strength but if they are skills, well educated, and aid to create value, that same youth population can still become a growth booster. So the focus should not be on the numbers of youths but how well they're prepared or ready innovate, contribute and create opportunities for themselves, others and the economy

No government is in position to give jobs to all of its population. What government can do is create opportunities for the its youth to earn and live a good life. Like in my country (Pakistan), government sends lot of workers to Gulfs countries for job. This way not only youth earns good money but its also a source of remittance for the country. These days government is also offering free skilled courses for young people through which they can learn new technologies and earn themselves.     

[Adiljutt156]

Large number of youth is considered as a raw resource not a finished product. They become volatile if right catalyst is not provided to them,  they become liability. Instead of asking Asking and training youth to be job seeker their mind should be shifted towards digital literacy and entrepreneurship and encouraging them to become employer rather than dependent on payrolls in this way and economic and transform the role resources in to productive force. The future of an economy is not dependent on quantity of the youth it is dependent on the quality of its youth for that we need to change their mind set.

[aoluain]

A low youth population is also related to an ageing population which means when there are not
enough employed younger generations less taxes are generated into the system to pay for that
same ageing population, medical, transport and pensions.

In my country the government has already identified it as a problem. The younger generations
already have been producing less and less children so families are already smaller.

At the risk of derailing the thread I think AI could potentially exacerbate the unemployment issue
in the future.

[programmer3666]

A large youth population can either become a country’s biggest strength or its biggest problem depending on how the government handles it. If young people have good education, skills and opportunities, they can build businesses, create jobs, and grow the economy. But when millions of youths are unemployed and frustrated, it can lead to more crime, protests, drug abuse and insecurity. We can even see this reality in many countries today where graduates finish school but there are no jobs for them. So the real investment is not just having many youths, but empowering them with useful skills and opportunities.

[Coyster]

Looking at it from the angle that, youths who have not developed skills hugely depend in the economy to provide employment, which then  amounts to economic instability,

There are diverse reasons for economic instability in any country, and i don't think this counts as one of them.

The key here is the mentality to develope skills, curbing the need to be dependant on paid jobs, rather becoming employers to a large extent!

You seem to have the mindset that you must be self-employed to be skilled, that is a huge fallacy. Companies hire skilled workers to get their job done. You can also develop and grow skills as an employee. There are also a lot of intrapreneurs in so many industries and fields. That said, the government has the biggest role to play in economic growth and advancement.

[retreat]

The key here is the mentality to develope skills, curbing the need to be dependant on paid jobs, rather becoming employers to a large extent!

For a small number of people, this may be possible, but in a broader context, it's not as simple as telling them they need to develop their skills and become entrepreneurs. How can you tell a child to develop their skills when they have limited access to education and their family lives in poverty? Or someone to become an entrepreneur when they lack capital and live in a society with low purchasing power?

This all comes back to the government, which is responsible for managing this young population with various programs, such as educational scholarships, vocational training, capital for MSMEs, broad employment opportunities, and national economic growth. Without these, this young population will not be an asset that can boost the national economy, but instead will become a social problem.

[JiiBs]

In addition population is not advantage by itself rather what matters most is the quality of people that are inside the population, and talk about skills if high number of youths don't have opportunities or skills it can turn out to be pressure to the economy instead of strength but if they are skills, well educated, and aid to create value, that same youth population can still become a growth booster.

I get you but, I’m not quite comfortable with the fact that, you tend to qualify people, humans to be of quality and not of quality. It doesn’t make much sense to me although, I get the fact that you are referring to skill and how productive they can be but, a different adjective would be nice, it’s people we are describing here.

Population normally do out grow food production as it increases exponentially while food production does increase geometrically which is also reflected in the amount of work that is being produced and as such, it tends to have a negative impact since, everyone can’t be productive.

That’s why entrepreneurship has being a requirement for survival by most, we just have way much people and very little to satisfy wants and needs.

[Rengga Jati]

It depends on the region, the culture, and the job and personal development opportunities. I live in a country with a very large youth population. However, is there a guarantee that everything will run smoothly and become an amazing economic benchmark?

No...

It doesn't depend on the size of the youth population.
It depends on:
- Human resources (what the youth are like)
- Consumer/productive culture
- Creativity supported by facilities and development
- Various skills training and adequate skills training
- A culture of smart, hard work with discipline

And there are many other factors that influence success. Unfortunately, not all young people have them, especially in this highly consumerist era, driven by various conveniences to obtain them.

[uneng]

The world is really doomed, because if it has to rely on the youth population for its maintenance there isn't much hope on the horizon... The youth don't want to work, they don't want to take responsabilities, they have no respect for tradition and history which took them where they are.

It's a brainless generation who don't pursue quality, rather they play the system's game. You can conclude that by going to any stores and checking how the quality of the products is decaying. Meanwhile, the youth purchase them with a smile on their faces, careless about this matter, while only attentive to worthless social media influencers and the next useless trends.

It's not entirely their fault, because that was how they were raised by the previous generations, but still, it's up to each person to decide awakening at some point.

[Stepstowealth]

But when you critically look at this a high population doesn't necessarily guarantee a successful economic future, infact it can be seen as a potential economic time bomb.

The government needs to look towards creating opportunities for the youths in their country when it is noticed that their number is high and increasing. Not every youth will be able to work in the government sector, the government cannot provide all the jobs, but they can provide the resources to have an enabling environment where business and skill acquisition is encouraged. In an enabling environment for skills and business growth, youths will not need to depend on the government for employment opportunities.