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By Ancuța Tilie, audience contributor

“There is no dream job for me because I don’t dream of working.” – Ana, student from Bucharest

 

Statistically speaking, over the past three years, an increasing number of young people have chosen not to enter the workforce, leading to a significant decline in their employment rates, while the number of senior employees has risen. Over the next decade, the number of workers over 65 is expected to triple.

Since the pandemic, three out of four young people have shifted their preference from traditional jobs to freelancing and flexible work arrangements, with many citing social media as a source of income, according to an online survey by BestJobs, published in 2021.

Eurostat data from 2023 indicates that youth employment was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the EU, 11.2% of individuals aged 15-29 were neither employed nor in education or training (NEETs). Romania had one of the highest NEET rates at 19.3% (total, male, and female), followed by Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, France, Croatia, and Hungary. Among women, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Lithuania had the highest NEET rates.

Faced with challenges in securing traditional jobs, young people are increasingly turning to opportunities on social media—a trend that has gained traction on TikTok, where many openly discuss rejecting low-paying jobs where they feel undervalued.

INFOGRAPHIC

Picture: © Eurostat

About the author

Ancuța Tilie is a student with the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies, University of Bucharest. This text was curated by Manuela Preoteasa.

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