09:17 AM ET Can world keep up with mobile young people? Today’s young people are a geographically mobile generation – seeking better educational and employment opportunities and more affordable access to technology and markets. The U.N. Population Fund estimates that about 3 percent of the world’s population lives outside their country of origin, while UNICEF reports that nearly 35 million, or about 17 percent, of international migrants are between the ages of 10 and 24 years. It’s fitting therefore that this year’s International Youth Day, being marked Monday, has the official theme of “Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward.” But with such mobility comes challenges. UNICEF says 21 percent of the total international migrant population between 10 and 24 years of age live in “less developed” countries. But even within this broader figure there are often significant differences, whether across gender lines, or geographically. And new migration patterns are emerging – for example, a number of countries that previously had high levels of emigration, including Argentina, Ireland, and South Korea, are now experiencing rising immigration rates. More generally, countries achieving sustained economic growth and increasing prosperity are new “hot” destinations for young (and indeed all) migrants. For young people who move in search of higher education abroad, Europe and North America rank as top destinations, hosting about 70 percent of foreign students at universities worldwide.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 12:14:34 +0000
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