2022, the European Year of Youth, is drawing to a close. The EESC, in a report on the equal treatment of young people in the labour market, advocates for an approach based on meaningful policy change and youth engagement to ensure that the Year of Youth goes beyond a mere communication activity.

During the year the EESC has taken the lead in proposing opinions based on the interests of young people and ways that the EESC itself could improve youth engagement.

As part of this process, the EESC has been drawing up a report on The equal treatment of young people in the labour market. This aimed to examine a number of practices and rules, often at national level, that treat young people less favourably in the labour market, particularly in relation to minimum wages, social security and health and safety, based solely on their age.

Drawing on information from Eurofond, the European Youth Forum, the ILO and the Mutual Information System on Social Protection, the opinion set out the details on some of these issues. Young people are particularly dependent on the minimum wage, with more than 1 in 4 being minimum wage earners, compared to 1 in 10 adults, according to the European Youth Forum. A number of Member States set specific "youth minimum wages", which are in all cases lower than the general minimum wage for particular age groups, while others exclude under 18s from minimum wage legislation.

Another area where there can be differential treatment of young people is during periods of unemployment. Once again, these are largely Member State competences, particularly when it comes to payment rates, pay-out periods, and criteria. There is a high level of diversity and complexity among the national systems across Europe. However, we can imagine instances where these differentials will impact on issues such as employment and free movement within the EU.

Young people may also be disadvantaged by unemployment benefit systems, as they may not have completed the required qualifying period of "paying in" to the relevant systems. Unpaid internships can be defined as periods of work, similar to those carried out by paid employees, that are not linked to a formalised and explicit process of education, training, volunteering or placement. There were a variety of different systems reported in different Member States with differing levels of oversight and regulation. The opinion highlighted the Resolution passed by the European Parliament, which is showing greater interest in this matter as a tangible symbol of commitment to the European Year of Youth.