Youth Employment in Rural Albania: A Theoretical Approach

European Scientific Journal, Apr 2016

Employment plays a central role in the social integration of young people. Young people in rural areas are the future of agriculture and other rural industries, but often lack the guidance and support necessary to fully contribute to the development of their communities, thereby fuelling the vicious cycle of rural underdevelopment and poverty. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the youth employment challenges faced in rural areas by bringing together in group discussions with stakeholders (farmers, entrepreneurs in rural areas, associations, etc.). The conclusions from this assignment will feed to a baseline analysis of youth involvement in rural labour market and skills development required and will identify areas where rural development programs can be targeted to increase their contribution to employment creation. This will also suggest formulation of policy recommendations on stimulating new sources of employment, and the conditions for success in stimulating employment in rural areas. The proposed methodology was developed through Desktop Research and direct interviews with focus groups.

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Youth Employment in Rural Albania: A Theoretical Approach

European Scientific Journal April 2016 edition vol.12 Youth Employment in Rural Albania: A Theoretical Approach Manuela Mece 0 0 Albanian University/Tirana , Albania Employment plays a central role in the social integration of young people. Young people in rural areas are the future of agriculture and other rural industries, but often lack the guidance and support necessary to fully contribute to the development of their communities, thereby fuelling the vicious cycle of rural underdevelopment and poverty. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the youth employment challenges faced in rural areas by bringing together in group discussions with stakeholders (farmers, entrepreneurs in rural areas, associations, etc.). The conclusions from this assignment will feed to a baseline analysis of youth involvement in rural labour market and skills development required and will identify areas where rural development programs can be targeted to increase their contribution to employment creation. This will also suggest formulation of policy recommendations on stimulating new sources of employment, and the conditions for success in stimulating employment in rural areas. The proposed methodology was developed through Desktop Research and direct interviews with focus groups. Youth employment; rural Albania; challenges - still makes up 25% of the population, and Albania is recognized as having a young population. In addition, almost half of youth resides in rural areas thus their livelihoods and prospective in the labour force is linked to these areas. Research objectives This study aims to present an outline of youth employment in rural Albania, exploring current situation, as well as identifying potential challenges. Goals and objectives of the study include:  Review existing national and international research regarding youth employment, with a particular focus on the rural areas by using and analyzing available statistical data on the magnitude, depth and structure of the rural economy/ employment in Albania.  Bring together in group discussions with stakeholders (farmers, entrepreneurs in rural areas, associations, etc.) to gain a better understanding of the employment challenges faced in rural areas.  Suggest formulation of policy recommendations on stimulating new sources of employment, and the conditions for success in stimulating employment in rural areas. Approach and methodology The organizing framework for this research is the idea of the ‘opportunity space’, or the ‘spatial and temporal distribution of the universe of more or less viable options that a young person may exploit as she/he attempts to establish an independent life. [The opportunity space of] a situated young person is a function of: global, national and regional factors including institutions, policy and demand; place; and social and cultural norms.’ (Sumberg et al. 2012, 5). The analysis is focused primarily on perceptions or attitudinal data, complemented by profile of the community or place with its key social, economic and political characteristics. The study also includes attitudinal evidence from urban respondents, of how the opportunity spaces afforded by rural and relevant urban contexts are compared by young people in their assessment of their prospects, and the criteria they consider most vital in drawing those comparisons. The analysis for this study was conducted against this backdrop of concerns about the prospects for youth unemployment, smallholder agriculture, poverty and livelihoods in rural Albania. The assumptions on which the research was based were that: • People’s aspirations are modulated within their ‘opportunity space’, giving rise to expectations that reflect what is possible within their geographical, socioeconomic and policy context, and given their own qualities and characteristics; people are rational agents, making sense of their own realities in line with their desires and ambitions. • Recent adjustments to higher food prices over the past half-decade or more is likely to have made small holder food farming relatively more attractive compared to other sectors. • Young people from rural backgrounds should be drawn more to farming than in the recent past; as part of this, both their own and their parents’ aspirations should reflect a relative rise in the status of farming compared to the recent past. However, constraints on access to land and credit may mean this fails to translate into smallholder farming. The ‘opportunity space’ in which people find themselves is directly and closely conditioned by group and individual socioeconomic status, levels of economic development, and public policies that support education and skills development among youngsters, and/or invest in particular sectors for an employment boost. The sites and interviewed participants were not selected specifically because of the scope they offered for comparative analysis across different opportunity spaces with respec (...truncated)


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Manuela Mece. Youth Employment in Rural Albania: A Theoretical Approach, European Scientific Journal, 2016, 10,