Introduction

Modern society assumes the right of every person to a dignified and quality life. It is realized primarily through active and responsible socioeconomic policy, which includes work, that is, employment. The phenomenon of unemployment among the young generation is well known in many countries around the world. According to global statistics, long-term unemployment has a growing tendency and is becoming a serious characteristic feature of unemployment also in the Slovak Republic. The most vulnerable group on the labour market is unemployed youth who have completed their education and are seeking employment. In a young person’s life, employment has an irreplaceable place. It is an important condition for his or her existence and brings not only material benefit, but also gives a sense of self-realization and social usefulness.

Young generation and employment

Youth is a life phase in which major biological, psychological and social changes occur. It is mostly specific, much like childhood. We can therefore say that youth is a historically rooted social phenomenon of human society. According to common societal views, youth is a distinct life stage that needs social and free space. Youth or the young generation can therefore be defined as “a term denoting a more or less imprecisely delimited age group, or a social category defined by specific biological, psychological and social traits” (Juva, 1994, p. 79), which includes graduates of secondary and higher education institutions as well.

The young generation is attributed the “role of a significant social actor and is characterized as a progressive subject of development” (Jandourek, 2001, p. 51). And this generation, as a social group, will in several years decide our future. But for now it is a real part of society and can actively influence what happens in it.

Whoever observes the transformation processes of Slovakia’s social system after 1989 more closely cannot avoid the fact that the public increasingly perceives the young generation as the most threatened and the most manipulable group. At the same time, it is seen as a potentially dangerous group for society, one that most quickly falls prey to the temptations of an open society. This social phenomenon is the result of the systemic change brought by democracy, which combines the modern prosperity of Western society and whose modernization has fundamentally affected human life and existence.

Modernization, which is gradually coming to the surface through transformation processes, is correctly understood as a civilizational challenge for the individual to adapt to a new culture that brings with it the problem of placement in the work process. The young generation in Slovakia is currently creating the necessary reference framework also for the issue of employment, because it includes a comprehensive characterization in terms of various societal changes such as social structures, mobility development, and levels and forms of civic participation in public life.

The main ideological stream shaping the young generation is to a large extent mass media. Traditional electronic media and new technologies are the basic phenomenon of multimedia form, which substantially shapes and manipulates the current young generation, that is, freshly graduated youth. The opinions and attitudes produced through the media are highly taken up by youth, who identify with them even if they are not fully ethical or moral. We note that this current young generation is a core subject of computerization and the conversion of society into the digital age of civilization.

The relationship of the young generation to media is a sensitive and civilizational challenge that defines its individuation into individual attitudes, in our case toward employment, that is, unemployment. The individuation of youth represents a precondition of modernization of our rapidly developing society. “Individuation is still understood among us only as the process of managing the challenge of a transforming totalitarian society” (Roško, 1995, p. 46). We know well that we have not yet managed this transformation in Slovakia as we should. And there are already many other problems (interruptions, drugs, cloning, etc.) that modern society brings with it.

All of this are situations that begin to address the young generation. The readiness of young people to handle these is not commensurate with the times. On the other hand, one must admit that society should intervene in time regarding the employment of graduates in the labour market.

A person must constantly adapt to the changes brought by life and by the era in which he or she exists. In the past, everyone in our country had a right to employment. On one hand it provided a sense of some form of “social security,” and on the other hand it meant suppressing competition and people’s abilities in society. The importance of work for each person’s life is indisputable, because it is an inseparable part of it. Work by its nature stimulates individual development and the whole society. The reality of productive employment in any society is irreplaceable not only in relation to the income that a family receives, but first and foremost in the direct sense of self-esteem arising from it. Work has a strong social character, is carried out in a concrete socio-cultural environment, creates social consequences and social interactions with other social phenomena and processes. For this reason, unemployment is a heavy and burdensome problem in our society that fundamentally affects even some families. It is linked to the central role of work and employment in our society and culture. Loss of employment means deprivation in basic needs that are directly fulfilled by employment and work, or where fulfillment is closely connected to them.

“Employment occupies an irreplaceable place in human life. It is an important condition for dignified existence, providing not only material benefit but also a sense of self-realization and social usefulness” (Buchtová, B. et al., 2002, p. 75). Work places a person in many social relations, satisfies his or her needs for ambition, self-fulfillment and self-esteem. Employment has not only an economic character, but also social and psychological significance, because it shapes a person intellectually, emotionally, mentally and physically. “Work is for a human being a biological and social necessity. The content of a person’s work activities also significantly affects the structure of needs, leisure-time use, and so on...” (Stanek, et al., 1999, p. 195). Through work, a person acquires material means for the social status of him or herself and the entire family. Employment is not merely an economic necessity. Gradually, however, it becomes a social need, where it increasingly gains means for one’s own expression and development of human potential.

Unemployment of graduates

High unemployment has a particularly adverse impact on young people’s entry into the work process; this includes the young generation, that is, graduates (school graduates). Loss of employment or inability to find a job, and thus secure a source of income, can catch a person at different stages of life. It affects the individual, his or her family, and society as a whole. For an unemployed person it is very important to maintain work habits and to preserve the desire to work, so this should receive proper attention. The process of integrating young people into the work process and associated problems is, among other things, also a reflection of how well schools prepared them for entry into the labour market.

The barriers on the labour market most often considered to hinder graduates from finding work are:

  • inadequate education,
  • lack of experience,
  • lack of computer skills and experience,
  • lack of foreign language knowledge,
  • transportation – unfavorable commuting.

One of the disadvantaged groups on the labour market in the Slovak Republic from the age perspective is young people seeking their first job. A school graduate is a citizen for one year after completing vocational training.

Rievajová, Stanek and Krausová (1997, p. 69) state that “unemployment and unemployment duration are also related to work experience. Each school year, large numbers of unemployed are joined by school graduates because lack of work experience reduces their chance of being employed quickly in competition with older, more experienced workers.”

For school graduates, employment is a certain form of entry into the adult world. In young people who leave school and find suitable employment, one can observe slight improvement in psychological state. In connection with school-graduate unemployment, their interaction with people decreases; therefore, it is useful to have an interest-based activity that has a social character (Schavel et al., 2007).

It is important to know under what conditions and with what opportunities graduates enter the labour market. These conditions and opportunities are often varied, but in general similar traits can be observed, for example, that the required degree of personal self-assertion has increased. It is expected that a person will gradually be able to manage his or her own employment placement independently.

According to Hanzlíková, Pauknerová and Soušková (2001), employment offices, social affairs offices and families contribute significantly to helping school graduates; their main aim is to broker suitable employment.

Among the most common disappointments are experiences with employers, especially in communication and in work experience. “School graduates are disadvantaged because they do not have work experience and practical experience in the field they studied. Some invested a lot of energy in studying, but afterward there is no demand on the labour market for them. Among these unemployed, economic problems arise, but also psychological ones; the risk of antisocial behavior and unhealthy dependence on parents increases” (Matoušek, et al., 2005, p. 301). The success of integrating a graduate into an employment relationship and his or her professional adaptation depends decisively on the level of readiness for that profession. On the other hand, although young people possess qualifications, they do not automatically gain integration into the labour market. Persistent disparity between supply and demand for work, the low ability of the economy to support the creation of new opportunities, persistent high unemployment, its regional dimension, and a school system insufficiently adaptable and not adequately responding to labour market demands reduce their chances of being quickly employed. Alongside the listed objective and subjective barriers, the direct actors in this process, the graduates themselves and employers, also present obstacles.

The dreams and plans of unemployed graduates can be reduced to two key words – good work and family. Good work is perceived by young people not only from the perspective of take-home pay, but also of a good team and supervisors. A pleasant team and a fair, understanding boss were verbally presented as equally important, often even more important than primary financial remuneration. This attitude can be understood, as Schinglerová points out, from the perspective of young people who have little or no experience resolving natural workplace conflicts and stress-load situations in a work collective.

The experience of unemployment among school graduates is influenced by many factors, such as the environment in which the unemployed person is located, friends with whom they are in contact, and age. Family environment and activities performed during unemployment also matter. An unemployed person copes with job loss very poorly. In one’s previous routine there are fundamental changes. The loss of a learned stereotype and disruption of a daily schedule lead to a different perception of time.

For the unemployed, time passes more slowly; they cannot distinguish between a workday and a day off. Boredom is one of the hardest experiences, affecting young unemployed people. Work and employment become an obstacle in their new life. They count on support from parents and relatives and appreciate any state support during unemployment. Since they have not yet acquired work skills, they cannot further develop them. Many are then tempted by a comfortable life according to their own ideas, which can lead to the risk of socio-pathological phenomena such as crime and various dependencies. Buchtová states that “bitterness at the sight of oneself can occur only among young people who recently completed their education in less sought-after professions and therefore do not have sufficiently suitable qualifications for successful placement in the labour market. Their employment prospects are small and unemployment can become the only possible way of life for them” (Buchtová, et al., 2002, p. 111).

Unemployed young generation also experiences psychological tension and depression from having no job. Long-term unemployment is also associated with a sense of fear about future prospects, which sometimes turns into indifference. Jahodová says that “psychological deprivation is caused by a drop in level and deprivation after unemployment benefits are exhausted. Even though not all of those who lose their jobs necessarily fall into poverty, unemployment is certainly a source of anxiety and concern for them” (Jahodová 1998, p. 54). Not having a job is, from the perspective of young generation, of course stress that negatively affects the psyche of every person. Unemployment itself has many adverse effects on mental, and also physical health, which can reduce a person’s readiness for successful labour placement. Unemployment is always associated with a decline in the life and social level of the unemployed. Likewise, there is danger of social isolation or social failure.

Unemployment is not experienced in the same way. If employment is any kind, job loss is always a severe situation for a person. It is very important how a graduate faces this serious problem of unemployment. Differences can also be observed across regions of Slovakia, where unemployment rates are low and there are sufficient vacancies. There, unemployment is only short-term, but in regions with high unemployment it is a serious socio-economic problem that has a long-term character.

The impact of unemployment causes a person, after some time, to lose many previous abilities and knowledge because they are not used. This is not only a decline in skills, knowledge and professional qualification, but also a general unlearning of routine employee activities. Young unemployed people are in a better situation when they have opportunities to work and are involved in various projects and activities provided through labour offices.

Important tips for young people on how to find a job

Richard Bolles (2004) states that among the important tips that can be applied for young people to find a job are:

  1. “No one is owed a job. If you want it, you must go after it and search—without compromise” (Bolles, 2004, p. 47).
  2. Success in job seeking depends on effort invested. The more you try, the higher the probability of finding a job that meets your expectations.
  3. You need to be mentally and financially prepared for the job search to last longer than you think. The shortest period ranges from 2 to 18 weeks depending on various factors. The decisive factors include the type of work you are interested in, where you live, your age, and the state of the economy in the region (Bolles, 2004).
  4. “Do not give up your efforts until you find a job. Persistence is the key to success; it means sending your resume to an employer by email, then by post, and finally calling after a week” (Bolles, 2004, p. 49).
  5. Once you know what type of work you are interested in, tell everyone you know. You will gain many more eyes and ears that may look for work for you.
  6. “Forget about job offers in newspapers, on the web, etc. Look for the kind of work you want the most” (Bolles, 2004, p. 50).
  7. If you want to speed up the job search process, focus on more different organizations. Limiting yourself to only two or three institutions will almost certainly mean failure.
  8. Consider the possibility of accepting a different type of work than the one you are qualified for.
  9. Be polite when negotiating with every potential employer, even if you think they will not offer you a job. If you leave a good impression, they may mention you elsewhere later on.

Conclusion

Unemployment is not only a priority problem from an economic standpoint, because today it is necessary to give equal attention also to the social perspective as a consequence of unemployment. For this reason too, this perspective influences the young generation. The consequences of unemployment have a strong social and psychological impact on each individual in the family. Knowing this allows for timely recognition of changing symptoms in experience and behavior of each family member, not only the unemployed one. It is important to prevent this as effectively as possible and especially to avert it. If we want to reduce the unemployment of the young generation, we must ensure equal access to work opportunities for everyone, where they could find and creatively develop personal and professional potential. That creates a positive premise for their use and integration into social life.

Authors: Slavomír Laca, Radoslav Micheľ, Peter Laca List of literature used:**

BOLLES, N. R.: How to Find a Good Job. 1st ed. Bratislava: Motýľ, 2004. 144 s. ISBN 80-88978-99-8. BUCHTOVÁ, B. a kol.: Nezaměstnanost psychologický, ekonomický a sociální problém. Praha: GRADA PUBLISHING, 2002. 240 s. ISBN 80-247-9006-8. ČERNÁ, Ľ.: Flexibility and security on the labour market. In: Hospodářská politika v členských zemích Evropské unie: Sborník příspěvků VIII. mezinárodní vědecké konference. 8.-10. září 2010, Horní Lomná, ČR. - Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2010. 49-55 s. ISBN 978-80-7248-601-4. JANDOUREK, J.: Sociologický slovník. Praha: Portál, 2001, 285 s. ISBN 80-7178-538-0. JŮVA, V.: Úvod do pedagogiky. Brno: Paido, 1994, 130 s. ISBN 80-901737-6-4. HANZLÍKOVÁ, O., PAUKNEROVÁ, D. SOUŠKOVÁ, M.: Jak uspět v prvním zaměstnání. 1. vyd. Praha: GRADA Publishing, 2001. 140 s. ISBN 80-247-0121-9. MAREŠ, P.: Nezaměstnanost jako sociální problém. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1994. 151 s. ISBN 80-901424-9-4. MATOUŠEK, O. a kol.: Sociální práce v praxi. 1. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2005. 352 s. ISBN 80-7367-002-X. SCHAVEL, M. a kol. 2007. Sociálna prevencia. 2. vyd. Prešov: Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety, Ústav sociálnych vied a zdravotníctva bl. P. P. Gojdiča, 2007. 141 s. ISBN 978-80-89271-22-1.

Publications of the author of the article: PaedDr. Slavomír Laca, PhD

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