Youth preferences in next five years; new challenges for policy makers: UNDP

ISLAMABAD, Jun 5 (APP):The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in its National Human Development Report (NHDR) has revealed diverse youth preferences pertaining to education completion and employment in the next five years.
According to the NHDR, the youth bulge has been divided in three tiers according to age as 15-19, 20-24 and 25-29 years. The youth in the first segment (15-19 years) have approximately 57 percent males and 51 percent females interested in completing their education while the comparison draws weaker in case of preferring to get employment as only 4 percent females are desiring to get job and 23 percent males have preferred to get employment. The survey has also found various youth propensities in the next five years as nearly 3 percent males desire to change their job, 4 percent show preference to marry, 5 percent to have children, approximate 3 percent to buy a house, 2 percent to buy a car and 4 percent had other preferences.
The females have different preference as mere 1 percent or less prefer to change their jobs, nearly 17 percent like better to marry, 7 percent to have children, 12-13 percent to buy a house, 3 percent to buy a car and 6 percent showed other preferences.
The second age tier showed a completely different scenario where 21 percent males and 18 percent females desire to complete studies while 31 percent males and only 8 percent females prefer to get jobs.
The youth trends here show shift in the preferences where 3 percent males and 1 percent females favor to change their jobs, almost 14 percent males and females to marry, 4 percent males and 20 percent females to have children, 8 percent males and a small 1 percent females wish to move to abroad, 5 percent males and 25 percent female to buy a house, 4 percent males and 7 percent females to buy a car and 9 percent males and 7 percent females told other preferences.
The last age group (25-29 years) has preferred completely dissimilar options as compared to the above as simply approximate 5 percent males and females showed their preference to complete their education, 32 percent males and 6 percent females to get jobs, 7 percent males and 1 percent females to change job, 8 percent males and 5 percent females to marry, 4 percent males and 21 percent females to have children, 10 percent males and 1 percent females to leave their country, 13 percent males and 41 percent females to buy a house, 7 percent males and 9 percent females to buy a car while 13 percent males and 12 percent females desired other preferences.
The report is a comprehensive document bringing not only the youth’s economic, educational and social trends in the forthcoming five years rather new challenges for the upcoming governments and policy makers to give due consideration and proper representation to the youth of the country.
The report says, “Nevertheless, despite being more educated than their parents, the ‘quality’ of their education makes the youth’s transition to work, marriage and active citizenship difficult. In addition, gender norms foisted upon both men and women imply unequal playing fields for young women. This is reflected in men and women having vastly different priorities even at the same age. These differences are starker in the older cohorts, 25-29 years. The need for engagement is therefore urgent and imperative”.
Countries with exceedingly young populations are more likely to experience conflict.
Unable to be absorbed into the economy, polity and society, Pakistan’s army of unemployed youths may (re)turn to crime or militancy.
Inadequate educational, economic, civic and political engagement could cost Pakistan well into the next century, as the demographic window of opportunity is expected to close by 2045. Creating new social ties between young people and society or improving the quality of existing interactions can deepen social cohesion, solidarity and trust among the youth by setting in motion events that could foster new social norms.