The matter in summary: Over 70,000 young people in Norway between the ages of 20 and 30 are outside school, work or social security benefits. There are big differences between the municipalities when it comes to how many young people are excluded. The number of disabled young people has doubled in ten years, and mental disorders are a major driver of this. Researchers know little about this group, but assume that they are in a very vulnerable life situation. Absenteeism costs society billions every year, and there is a lot to be saved by getting young people off social security benefits and into working life. Some believe that it is possible to see already in kindergarten who is in danger of falling outside. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In some municipalities, there are three times as many people who end up outside as in other municipalities. In Eidskog by the Swedish border, every fourth young person is neither in work nor at school. Half of these are on measures from NAV and receive social security benefits, while the rest no one really knows what they are doing. At the opposite end of the county is Lesja. Almost no one ends up there outside of work and school. Such large differences between the municipalities are found in most counties. The number of young disabled people has doubled in ten years Within a few years, the number of young people unable to cope with working life has doubled. In no other age group is the increase so great. Today, over 70,000 young people in Norway in the age group between 20 and 30 are completely outside school, work or social security benefits. A PROBLEM: Absenteeism costs society billions every year, says Bjørn Lien. He is head of NAV in the interior. Photo: Nav – Mental disorders are the big driver, says NAV CEO Bjørn Lien in Innlandet. NAV does not know why this is happening. Have the performance requirements changed? Is social media the cause? Or is it the diagnosis community that is moving in this direction? The researchers know little about this group. – We have to assume that they are in a very vulnerable life situation. Since they do not appear in any registers, and it is otherwise difficult to get in touch with both their circle of friends, support staff and researchers, we know little about their living situation and state of health. That’s what Tonje Fyhn, who is a researcher and head of department for Welfare, work and health at NORCE, says. Tonje Fyhn, who is a researcher at NORCE, which is an independent research institute, says that being out of working life has, among other things, a connection with poorer physical and mental health, alcoholism and early death. Photo: Gerd Johanne Braadland / news Some counties have higher figures than others. Vestfold, Telemark and Agder have many outsiders. – We do not know how they are provided for, who sees them, or who are the guides in the support system and their rights. It is a group we should make a far greater effort to reach, says Fyhn. She further says that it is assumed that a good number of these are supported by family, and that some work illegally. In the interior, around 7,500 people in the age group 18–29 are out of work or school or both. OUTSIDE: Over 70 thousand people in the age group between 20 and 30 are out of work and school. Illustration: NAV Casper got out of it Casper Hildonen (27) lives in Kongsvinger. He has been out of work for a couple of years. Now he has got a job through NAV, and solves problems for customers at Elkjøp in his home town. – During the two years I was outside, I was mostly at home. I didn’t have much motivation to get out. Actually, it was mostly sad, and I became depressed. HAPPY WITH CUSTOMERS: Casper thinks he is lucky to have got a job at Elkjøp. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Then NAV called, they were the ones who got Casper out of it. That inquiry came at the right time, because Casper had a guilty conscience. – I also wanted out of it for my mother’s sake. She is a single parent, and Casper saw that she was worried when he was only at home. – So I had to turn the day back to normal, and get used to getting up in the morning again, he says with a smile. Now he hopes to get a permanent job at Elkjøp. Mamma Vivian Hansen never lost faith that her son would get a job. – In our family, we have all always worked. I really just figured it would work out for Casper too. Vivian understood that Casper was bored and needed a year off. The one year turned into two. – I looked a little darkly at it after a while. He had to find a job eventually. I pushed him a little, but didn’t want to push too much either. In the end, he realized that he had to contribute. He took the initiative and then he quickly got a job, says Vivian. Costs society billions and is inherited Every young person who ends up on disability benefits costs society an average of NOK 15 million over their lifetime. These are the figures NAV operates with. Thus, it is obvious that there is a lot to be saved by getting young people from social security benefits into working life. Going on social security in some cases is unfortunately inherited, says the head of NAV in Innlandet. When the children perceive it as normal to go on social security, they often end up in the same situation as the parents themselves. Some believe that it is possible to see already in the nursery who is in danger of falling outside. – Putting measures in place early is important, says the NAV manager in Innlandet. He believes that solutions should be sought so that NAV, school, health and everything related to upbringing can work more closely together on those families who are known to be in the risk zone. – You don’t feel that it is like that today? – No, I don’t feel that it is quite like that today. But this is not a one-two-three turn. – If you are born into a family of academics, education is talked about around the dinner table. It does not happen in the same way when the parents are not at work, says NAV CEO Lien. Several politicians are advocating for changes to the payment arrangements for young people outside the workforce. INLAND: It is in the youngest age groups that the number of disabled people increases. Graphics: NAV Cultural differences have a big impact Jørn Andre Stenseth is head of NAV in the Kongsvinger region. He thinks it is difficult to know exactly why there are such large differences in externality from municipality to municipality. The municipalities in his area all have a high number of young people who are outside, a total of over 1,100 people in the age group between 20 and 30. But in light of these high numbers, they started a project a few years ago to bring the number down. The project was named “Young inclusion in the Kongsvinger region”, and when it ended last year there were 109 fewer people on the outside than when it started. – The young people became involved in their own situation. By listening to them and including them, they became more active in their own situation, says Stenseth. NAV CHIEF: Jørn Andre Stenseth heads NAV in the Kongsvinger region. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Working life disqualifies Working life has changed. Before, you could start at a car workshop and gradually learn the trade. Now you must have a certificate. Those who, for example, entered the car mechanic profession via practice, do not have the same opportunities as before. REQUIRE MORE: Today you either have to have the paperwork in order, or you won’t get the job you might have been able to get earlier. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news In the past it was also accepted that you found a role in accordance with your qualifications. You could join in and help, and the limitations for the tasks went where the knowledge ended. For these groups, the path to disability benefits has become shorter. – But disability benefits are by far the last stop, says Bjørn Lien. Before you get this far, a lot has been tried, and if you first receive disability benefits, your lifeline to working life is also cut short. The key is education Innlandet is Norway’s largest county. In terms of extent, it is larger than Denmark, and people live spread out, more spread out than in other counties. The key to people not falling behind is education, believes Bjørn Lien. He believes the county council has a challenge in making various educational options available to everyone. Then he believes that new thinking must be done, and there must be less focus on filling up classes. – The offer of education must be adapted to the labor market, and since the latter is often changing, it all requires flexibility in the future, believes Lien. This is believed to be the cause: social media on mobile phones increased pressure and stress in schools and in youth environments in general increased openness about mental health problems in society changes in family and cohabitation patterns increased experience of segregation and outsiderness a more individualized society more loneliness
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More and more young people fall out, it is both expensive and creates social problems – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
