The workshop was organized by YSU Alumni and Career Centre and the Centre for Leadership and Gender Studies with the support of the Swiss Humanitarian Foundation CASA.
Acting Director of Alumni and Career Centre Armine Hajatyan welcomed the guests and thanked for the participation.
Coordinator of the “Youth Employment Program” of CASA Foundation Lusine Aghabekyan made a brief presentation of the agenda, noting that participants will address the issue of youth employment and unemployment in the world, the main sources of job search, existing obstacles, the RA labor market demands, professions in demand and the RA employers’ requirements.
“Today, many believe that unemployment is a serious problem especially in Armenia, but I must say that it is one of the main problems in the world,” - said Lusine Aghabekyan.
She presented the unemployment and employment rates in Armenia in 2011 and 2013. Accordingly, the unemployment rate in 2011 was 27.8%, in 2013 - 11% and the employment rate - 48.7% and 27% respectively. It should be noted about the difference between Yerevan and regional youth employment: this problem is more serious in the regions.
Lusine Aghabekyan also focused on the sources of job search, job announcements, various organizations, websites, newspapers, outdoors posted announcements, media, job fairs, employment agencies, youth organizations, volunteer work, visits to potential employers.
She also spoke of the key factors - relationships, skills and abilities, education, professional skills, work experience, personal acquaintance with the employer, etc.
As for the factors which can become an obstacle in this process, she noted about the young people’s negative attitude towards labor market: “According to the statistics, only 5.4% of the respondents have assessed the labor market in Armenia as satisfactory, 4% are sure that it is easy to get a job in Armenia, while 58% are not optimistic about the possibility of finding a job after graduation.”
Lusine Aghabekyan believes that this approach is a serious psychological obstacle, because one sees an obstacle where he or she is supposed to see an opportunity.
At the end of the meeting she thanked the participants and expressed the hope that the course will somehow help in finding a job.
