Author(s):
1. Gabrijela Vidić, 2. Andrea Kovačević, Croatia

Abstract:
The last global economic crisis that hit the entire world economy has left, and still leaves, many consequences. Due to the decline in production, unemployment has dramatically increased. Those who had a job, lost it, and those who are looking for a job cannot find one, particularly young people who are usually looking for their first jobs. The largest share of the total number of unemployed person in Croatia in 2011 made young between 20 and 29 years. Youth unemployment is often mentioned in the context of frictional unemployment that is caused by the movement of people between different jobs or their search for new and better jobs. Young people begin their search for a suitable place on the labour market after their education, but they are one of the most vulnerable groups on the labour market because their lack of knowledge and skills, work experience or financial resources required for employment. In Croatia, the employment rate of young people in the period between 2007 and 2010 has dropped by over 3%, while the youth unemployment rate has increased dramatically by 8.7%. Croatia has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe, following Macedonia, Greece and Spain. This is a result of the transition process, but also the global economic crisis which Croatia is going through. Today, young people are often employed on fixed-term contracts, which do not give them any protection or allow them long-term planning, and this enables employers to fire them almost whenever they want (a popular term is last hired - first fired). The aim of this study was to investigate how the global economic crisis affects the labour supply of young people who are particularly vulnerable on the labor market. The survey included 508 students from all Croatian universities and study programs in the academic year 2010/2011. The aim was to determine how students\' attitudes about work and their further education will affect future labour markets in Croatia, given the fact that the respondents will soon represent a highly skilled workforce on the labour market. The study was conducted using a structured online questionnaire, the questions were closed, and the data processing was done using a software package designed for statistical data analysis - SPSS.

Key words:
economic crisis, youth, labour supply, Croatia

Thematic field:
The effect of the 2007-2009 global financial and e

Date of abstract submission:
30.06.2012.

Number of visits:
450

Conference:
REDETE 2012