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Recent trends in the youth labor market in Colombia: Diagnosis and policy challenges

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  • Ham, Andrés
  • Maldonado, Darío
  • Guzmán-Gutiérrez, Carlos Santiago
Abstract
This paper characterizes the youth labor market in Colombia from 2008 to 2017. We estimate labor market indicators for individuals aged between 14-28 years using microdata from Colombia’s household surveys over the study period. Our estimates document the main patterns and trends in the labor market for youth in labor force participation, employment, unemployment, informality, and earnings. We compare these statistics to the same indicators for adults (individuals aged between 29-65 years), and explore differences within youth by characteristics such as gender, region, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and experience. Results indicate that young Colombians have increased their participation rate in recent years, but are mostly employed in low-quality jobs: unsalaried and informal. We also document marked inequalities in labor market outcomes across youth characteristics. We provide a series of recommendations to guide future youth labor policy given these estimates and a critical analysis of recent youth policies in Colombia.

Suggested Citation

  • Ham, Andrés & Maldonado, Darío & Guzmán-Gutiérrez, Carlos Santiago, 2020. "Recent trends in the youth labor market in Colombia: Diagnosis and policy challenges," Working papers 32, Red Investigadores de Economía.
    • Handle: RePEc:rie:riecdt:32
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    Cited by:

    1. Montoya, J & Jurado, A., 2021. "Calidad del empleo agregado, formal e informal: un análisis para la economía colombiana en el periodo 2007 -2019," Documentos de trabajo - Alianza EFI 19290, Alianza EFI.
    2. Andrés Álvarez & Juan Camilo Chaparro & Carolina González & Santiago Levy & Darío Maldonado & Marcela Meléndez & Natalia Ramírez & Marta Juanita Villaveces, 2022. "Reporte ejecutivo de la Misión de Empleo de Colombia," Documentos de trabajo 20156, Escuela de Gobierno - Universidad de los Andes.
    3. Chaparro Cardona, Juan Camilo & Caly Amador, Tatiana Isabel, 2024. "Análisis de los logros educativos y la situación laboral de las personas jóvenes de Barranquilla entre 2007 y 2022," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 1, Universidad EAFIT, revised 15 Apr 2024.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Youth; Llabor market; Transition into the labor market; Labor policy; Colombia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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