Out-of-school and out-of-work youth in Latin America: a persistent problem in a decade of prosperity

Cárdenas, Mauricio, de Hoyos, Rafael and Székely, Miguel (2015) Out-of-school and out-of-work youth in Latin America: a persistent problem in a decade of prosperity. Economía, 16 (1). 1 - 40. ISSN 1529-7470

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Abstract

This paper explores the persistent shares of youth that are out of school and out of work in Latin America, with special attention to those in the fifteen-to-eighteen age range. According to our calculations, 18.5 percent of Latin American youth in this age group (9.4 million individuals) are currently neither in school nor working. We present the patterns of the evolution of this group in eighteen countries across the region, identifying the set of microeconomic and aggregate variables that are correlated with their dynamics. We explore the relationship with the household’s socioeconomic characteristics and with the structure and evolution of labor markets. We identify the links with the schooling system and school dropout patterns; and we verify whether the group responds to changes in the environment, including overall GDP growth, or to economic shocks. We also explore the possibility that they are simply a transient demographic phenomenon. JEL Classification: J10, J21, I24.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://economia.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2015 LACTEA
Divisions:	LSE
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Time Allocation, Work Behavior, and Employment Determination and Creation; Human Capital; Retirement > J21 - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J10 - General J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Time Allocation, Work Behavior, and Employment Determination and Creation; Human Capital; Retirement > J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
Date Deposited:	23 Jul 2024 13:33
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2024 13:36
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/123418

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