As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance EU policy responses to unemployment among vulnerable youth, the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) coordinated a series of meetings with leading organizations providing services and employment support to young people across the Danube Region. The meetings were co-organized and hosted by ZSI and took place in Vienna, Austria, from November 24–26, and aimed to strategize effective approaches for the socio-economic and labor market integration of youth in the region.
Vulnerable young people in the EU - including migrants, refugees, youth with disabilities or care responsibilities, and those facing housing insecurity - are significantly more likely to become NEET (neither in employment, education nor training). In 2023, 11.2% of EU youth aged 15-29 were NEET, but the share rose to 21.5% among non-EU citizens, more than double the rate for nationals. Severe material and social deprivation affected 5.8% of young people in 2024, while 24.1% were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Although EU data cannot yet measure how many NEETs are also homeless, the overlap between migration background, deprivation, housing instability and labour-market exclusion is clear, highlighting the need for integrated support across employment, education, and housing.
Participating organizations, including the National Employment Service of Austria (AMS U25), Hobby Lobby, Jugendinitiative Triestingtal, M.O.V.E. on Jugendcoaching, Buntaz Network, and Sindbad Youth Initiative, discussed existing good practices in engaging vulnerable youth in education and employment. These included youth coaching, engagement through leisure activities, mentorship, and skill development to facilitate the transition from education to labor market entry.
A highlight of the meetings was the joint session with organizations from seven other countries across the Danube, focused on designing additional best practices and interventions to support youth labor market integration. The outcomes of this collaborative effort, along with the subsequent interventions to follow, will contribute to CSD’s ongoing work to develop a Danube Region-wide strategy for integrating vulnerable youth into the labor market.
