Last year saw the lowest unemployment rates this century. However, the figures may not be as promising as they look on paper.
ADVERTISEMENTA newly released report from the European Commission suggests the lowest unemployment rates of the century. However, a deeper look at the numbers shows that they don't tell the full story.
The data showed that although unemployment is down, the number of temporary contracts are up.
In Spain, Slovenia, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Croatia, temporary employment contracts are regularly above 15%. Of those that hold temporary contracts, 60% are young people.
Concerns over how these statistics about unemployment could be misleadingly positive sparked a debate on the Raw Politics couches tonight between Italian MEP Brando Benifei and Euronews political editor Darren McCaffrey.
"It is notable that temporary employment is mostly among the young," McCaffrey said.
"If that means that people at least have a foothold in a job that otherwise wouldn't be there, because of high unemployment rates, again that's a good thing".
However, Benifei countered McCaffrey's statement, pointing out that temporary positions are not sustainable enough for youth workers.
"If we have a high number of temporary jobs, too high in the EU, in the end, workers will have less capability to maintain and support their rights, their opportunities," Benifei said.
_Watch the full Raw Politics debate by clicking on the player above. _