Youth and unemployment in Montevideo

The crisis unleashed in 1981 has had a considerable effect on the work situation of young people and has exacerbated factors which had emerged before that time. The first discernible consequence is that young people are pushed towards the work market and this increases their participation rates. This widespread phenomenon is of great importance even in the case of women, who disregard traditional discriminatory obstacles and seek jobs. However, the supply of jobs has not met expectations, and there has been a sizeable rise in youth unemployment, in particular among first-time job seekers. The number of students also increases, because it is assumed that formal education remains an important asset in the search for work; similarly, there is an increase in the proportion of students trying to find work.