Promoting Youth Inclusion: Rapporteur's Report
Abstract
In its strategy meeting on 7 November 2016, the Sipilä Government discussed the increase in the number of NEET youths as well as the causes and problems related to it. The Government decided to prepare an action programme for the Government’s mid-term policy review to prevent and address social exclusion, improve school pass rates, reduce drop-out rates and curb the decline in the skills pool. Studies were launched to support the preparation of the proposals for action.
Professor Heikki Hiilamo was tasked with mapping the benefit and service system for young people between 16 and 25 years of age, including its inflexibilities, overlap, incentive traps and questions of harmonisation. Hiilamo's assignment was to prepare tangible proposals for action that would enhance the functioning of the benefit and service system, prevent social exclusion and reduce the number of youths not in education, employment or training. The proposals would be used as a base for drafting legislation. The assignment called for assessment of whether it would be possible to create a single benefit for those under 25 years of age that would introduce activation elements to help young people participate and maintain their functional capacity, as well as reduce social exclusion and the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
The rapporteur's proposals:
- Start paying a participation income for young people under 25 years of age. It would come in different grades: the basic level would correspond to basic social assistance and the active level would correspond to the current level of the labour market subsidy. It would involve mandatory activities and support services, i.e. youth inclusion services that encourage them to study and work. Further studies are needed relating to the payment of illness-related income security (youth rehabilitation allowance) as a type of increased participation income.
- Enact legislation that obligates counties to create their own Ohjaamo services that take collective responsibility for organising the youth inclusion services. The services include mandatory activities and support services that encourage young people to study and work.
- Examine how the Ohjaamo services can acquire sufficient expertise and resources to coordinate the introduction of young people to services that support their studies and employment, including rehabilitation services and various forms of municipal youth work. The Social Insurance Institution (Kela) could provide rehabilitation services with a lower threshold and the Ohjaamo services could direct young people to these services.
- Make it easier for young people to access student loans by limiting the maximum duration of a payment default entry for young people under 25 years to one year. If the claim resulting in the default is paid, the entry could be struck from the register. Abolish public transport inspection fees for those under the age of 18. Amend the legal consequences of moped-related crimes to be driving bans and restrictions for receiving a driver's licence (one year deferral) instead of fines. Examine how Kela could provide student loans.
- Start further studies into the effect of conscription failures and interrupted military service on the studies and work careers of young people.
Authors
Heikki Hiilamo, Anne Määttä, Karoliina Koskenvuo, Jussi Pyykkönen, Tapio Räsänen, Sanna Aaltonen
Additional Information
- Peer-Reviewed: no.
- Open Access: yes.
- Cite as: Hiilamo, H., Määttä, A., Koskenvuo, K., Pyykkönen, J., Räsänen, T., & Aaltonen, S. (2017). Nuorten osallisuuden edistäminen: Selvitysmiehen raportti. Diakonia-ammattikorkeakoulu. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-493-298-1
