Peer Review Youth Unemployment Task Force, The Netherlands Youth Unemployment Task Force Statements and Comments

The aim of this paper is to comment on the policy/measure presented in the Discussion paper on ‘Youth Unemployment in the Netherlands’, prepared by the host independent experts Jaap de Koning, Arie Gelderblom and Peter van Nes from SEOR, Erasmus University, Rotterdam. I discusses (a) the policy context, economic circumstances and institutional/legal background in the Netherlands from the point of view of reducing youth unemployment; (b) the potential transferability of the policy/measures to the Bulgarian policy/measures for fighting youth unemployment and (c) important issues that are currently debated in Bulgaria related to youth unemployment and the further development of the labour market. Decreasing youth unemployment is a key element in current Dutch policy. In October 2003 as a major policy initiative the Dutch government launched a Task Force against Youth Unemployment. This Task Force will operate for four years. The Youth Unemployment Task Force sets out a plan, called ‘Working together ’ to generate 40,000 jobs for young people. The acquiring of these jobs is supposed to be achieved in various ways, namely: approaching employers directly with regard to jobs for young people; traineeship placements; stimulating modern initiatives; stimulating training for young people and through conducting a nation-wide campaign. Under the targets, formulated in its ‘Action Plan ’ and through the undertaken initiatives, the Dutc