The Swedish government guarantees young people jobs under two programs: Youth Opportunities and Youth Teams. Both rely largely on local authorities as employers of last resort. Smaller-scale schemes that offer incentives to employers who provide jobs to unemployed youth have also been tried. These programs have resulted in a marked decline in…

Assesses the major claims and counterclaims in the debate on the desirability of attaching work-related obligations to the receipt of welfare benefits. Attempts to reach a balanced judgment on whether labor policy should continue moving in that direction. (JOW)

Deals with some of the problems (and reasons for the problems) which school-leavers and young workers encounter in their search for jobs or training places. Measures taken or envisaged in a number of countries to alleviate the problems are also reviewed. (SH)

Because of high unemployment, western European governments have created temporary employment, provided on-the-job training, and helped the unemployed set up businesses. The authors examine initiatives to illustrate types of employment programs and discuss how the schemes are designed, implemented, and financed by looking at structure, content, and…

This article draws on the findings of seven country studies of youth employment programs in Africa (Botswana, Somalia, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mauritius). Considered are public service/public works programs, agricultural development, employable skills development and vocationalization of education, and national youth services. (SK)