Thematic Group on Rural Youth Employment: the Voice of Rural Youth 

This Thematic Group explored various approaches to developing sustainable and high-quality rural jobs accessible to young people, with the aim of informing relevant policies. 

Context

One of the priorities for moving European rural youth forward is to create sustainable and high-quality rural jobs accessible to young people. Rural youth unemployment rates are higher than the average throughout the EU, and rural employment opportunities tend to be relatively limited, with a prevalence of seasonal jobs. 

Supporting youth employment can help revitalise rural areas, prevent depopulation and strengthen rural communities. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the reinforced Youth Guarantee by Member States, and a variety of other programmes and tools offer multiple and significant resources to support rural youth employment, and these opportunities need to be better understood and applied in a targeted and coordinated way.

This Thematic Group (TG) aimed to be stakeholder-driven, inviting, and to include young rural stakeholders – mostly people under 30 years of age from different EU rural areas – encouraging them to join and have a significant say in shaping the discussions around rural youth employment, which guaranteed youth ownership of the TG discussions and outputs (available below).

Objectives

The TG aimed to: 

discuss the ongoing employment trends and emerging opportunities in the rural job market, as well as possible innovative approaches and various supportive tools, initiatives or funds, particularly from the youth perspective; 
provide a space to share the real-life experiences of young people - both self-employed and employees in rural areas;
exchange on the different rural career pathways of young people and necessary ingredients for success – including exchanges on key ‘must-haves’ and opportunities; and
identify functional youth employment models in order to inform relevant policies.

Activities

The TG took a holistic approach in exploring the mechanisms to support the employment of young rural people, considering developments on the rural job market and ongoing global trends, but also relevant policies and available tools, initiatives and funds.

The first TG meeting (9 March 2023, online) allowed TG members to share personal experiences and exchange on challenges and opportunities related to rural youth employment.

The second TG meeting (23 May 2023, online) reflected on support programmes and tools that are available at different levels (EU, national, regional and local).

In addition, two informal online discussions, led by TG members, focused on trends in rural employment and experiences with support programmes and tools. The outcomes of the discussions informed the 2nd TG meeting and are available in the documents section of the 2nd meeting page. A Twitter chat on 19 May 2023 opened up the discussion to CAP stakeholders beyond the TG membership.

The outcomes of the TG meetings are highlighted in the event reports as well as in the Factsheet on Rural Youth Employment (also available below).

Key findings

TG members discussed rural job opportunities in three different settings: 1) the agri-food private sector, mainly covering farm-related jobs; 2) the non-agri-food private sector, linked to, e.g., tourism, rural services or any other job outside of farming; and 3) the public and third sector, including social enterprises and civic initiatives in rural areas.
TG members shared personal experiences and views on rural employment. Panels composed from young farmers, representatives of National Networks, Local Action Groups and institutions offered a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
The pages of the two TG meetings include many presentations of initiatives taking place in different Member States. These range from the Spanish Innovation & Talent programme in Extremadura, which provides apprenticeship contracts for unemployed people under the age of 30, to Finnish LEADER LAGs using a dedicated youth support fund, or a French municipality granting financial support for local businesses employing young people.  We encourage you to check these helpful resources, which can inspire action in other countries.
Key 'must-haves' that can help young people get and maintain quality rural jobs, identified by TG members, include: public services, better infrastructure (roads, broadband), training opportunities, and accessible and innovative funding.
Key opportunities for rural youth employment are offered by digitalisation, remote working opportunities, networking and cooperation, and green job opportunities.

TG members and speakers reiterated the value of well-targeted communication and outreach and the importance of providing training (e.g. on business skills) as well as mentoring. Other valuable elements included the dissemination of best practices, establishing ‘ambassadors’ to promote knowledge and the use of support tools, aligning the support to the specific needs of different age groups, and the overall need to promote a positive image of rural life and agriculture.

Scroll down this page to find all the outputs of this Thematic Group and relevant resources related to this topic.