Eurofound Talks: Has Europe failed its youth?

Europe’s young people have had a difficult decade. Slow to recover from the impacts of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, young people were also the most impacted psychologically and socio-economically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the post-pandemic cost-of-living crisis has blocked the paths of many young people from independence and adulthood: analysis from Eurofound shows that some 42% of 25–29-year-olds lived with their parents in the EU in 2022, and 20% of 30–34-year-olds still lived with their parents.

In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Eszter Sandor and Massimiliano Mascherini about the situation for young people in Europe, from the impacts of the economic crisis and Great Recession to the aftermath COVID-19 pandemic and voting trends in the recent European Parliament elections. They discuss how, while there have been some positive trends in employment in recent years, there are concerning issues facing young people in Europe that need to be overcome – not just for the young people in question, but also for broader economic and societal stability.

The discussion comes on the back of the publication of new research from Eurofound which explores young people’s wishes and plans for the future – and the well-being outcomes related to these plans – in the context of the current labour market and housing situation and progress on the implementation of the EU’s reinforced Youth Guarantee. It outlines how many young people in Europe find themselves locked out of the housing market and unable to establish the independence required to have families of their own.

Listen to the episode on our dedicated page, or wherever you get your podcasts.