Social Protection as Key Indicator for Decent Work

When we asked some young people why they think social protection is important, they mentioned it can help improve access to jobs and services as well as quality of life. Some linked social protection’s importance to income security for poverty reduction, reducing exposure to risks, increased access to education, and health and increased productivity. In essence, all these answers are correctly linked to social protection. The three major categories of social protection—social assistance, social insurance and labor market programs—are all important for the youth.

First, social assistance—particularly programs that provide stipends or allowances and scholarships for secondary and tertiary students—help increase the youth’s access to education services. Health assistance targeted to poor families also benefit youth household members. Victims of disasters, including youth, benefit from food- or cash-for-work programs.

Second, social insurance—such as workers insurance, health insurance, and social security systems to provide savings and pensions in old age—reduces the youth’s exposure to life risks and helps protect them from falling into debt and poverty in the event of illness, and/or accidents.

Third, labor market programs—including skills development and jobs matching programs are targeted for unemployed youth and young job seekers—help increase young peoples’ job readiness and open opportunities of getting decent employment. Big programs targeting the youth are already being implemented in Bangladesh and the Philippines.

As the future movers and shakers of our nations, it is very important that we include youth as beneficiaries when we design social protection investments. However, what we have so far is not enough. Governments and the private sector alike need to invest more in providing social protection for the youth, particularly to increase youth’s access to health and education and decent jobs.

Source:

https://blogs.adb.org/blog/why-social-protection-matters-youth