The labor issue occupies center stage in discussions based on the counter-reforms that the national government wants to impose in the field of labor. Young people are the most affected by labor problems in our country.
In this context, Fundación SES, in collaboration with the Argentine Grande Institute, the Center for Training, Labor and Development Studies (Unsam) and the Futuros Mejores organization, participated on November 13 in a meeting on youth and work to discuss the challenges posed by today’s world of work.
About a hundred people, most of them young people, participated in the event held at the National University of San Martin. In addition to the presentations by those who spoke as part of the panel, the meeting had a new methodology: young people participated from their mobile phones, answering questions that were used as a catalyst for discussion. The answers may surprise those who listen to the discourse circulating in the mainstream media on this issue: the vast majority answered that they choose stable work, with rights and coverage, even when it is not possible to return to the old forms and times of the working day.
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The practice of professional and critical journalism is an essential pillar of democracy. This is why it bothers those who believe they are the bearers of the truth.
The idea that rights must be removed in order to be included has been questioned, and it has been emphasized that technological change does not necessarily lead to greater flexibility or instability in relation to rights, because behind the technology there are political decisions.
We agree on a common diagnosis: We face a broken labor market. You work a lot because your work is worth little. Argentina has one of the longest working hours in the world, when compared not only to the European average, but also to countries in the region such as Uruguay or Chile.
A greater state presence is urgently needed to formalize those currently working in the informal sector, create a regulatory and financial scheme accessible to SMEs – accessible both economically and in simplifying procedures – and move forward with sectoral measures for unilateral shareholders and regulate the operation of platforms by the state.
The highlight was that we once again put into practice a fundamental aspect of the centre: listening to children, understanding their concerns about entry into work, low salaries, lack of protection, over-exploitation and the obstacles that are put in front of them to train and progress.
From the SES Foundation, we have provided the Youth Monitor (prepared in collaboration with the Argentine Political Economy Center-CEPA), a tool that allows us to quickly understand the reality of young people in terms of employment, social, housing and education indicators.
The commitment of the different teams and organizations in which we participate is to continue promoting concrete proposals that improve opportunities for young people, because the youth action agenda must be a priority for Argentina’s future.
It is true that there are technological shifts, new requirements and changes in the organization of work that pose very specific challenges. But these challenges require solutions and a state that accompanies the construction of these responses, because the market does not and will not solve everything.
* SES Foundation.
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