Youth unemployment costs the EU more than 2 billion euro per week whereas the average cost for each student who leaves the school system early, could reach more than one million euro for the whole of his/her life.
The above data were announced by the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, Sport, Media and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou during a Conference on Early School Leaving and the Europe 2020 Strategy, which took place Monday at the coastal town of Limassol.
Delivering a speech at the seminar, Commissioner Vassiliou said that every year a percentage of more than 14% of young EU citizens between the ages of 18-24 years old, attend only secondary education.
She moreover noted that one out of seven youngsters in the EU are under the risk of unemployment , poverty and social exclusion and they are often in more precarious and less well paid jobs.