During the first Mercosur Youth Summit, developed in Montevideo, around 30 enterprises and international companies that have operations in the region signed the “Agreement for Youth Employability of Mercosur” to offer 40,000 employment opportunities for young people in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil up to 2020.

Participants of the event include Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé Americas, representatives of the Ministries and Secretariats of Labour, Education, and Youth of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Swiss Government, the International Labour Organization, the International Youth Organization for Latin America, businessmen, and young people.

The companies that signed the agreement were Nestlé, ADBlick, Adecco Group, Adecoagro, Andreani, APEXAmérica, Arla Foods, Braskem, BUNGE, Cargill, CIEE, Clariant, Facebook, FarmaShop, Ferrere, Givaudan, GS1, Kuehne & Nagel, Luis Deyfrus, Manpower, Mercer, Mc Cain, Nielsen, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Owen Illinois, Publicis, Roche, Sodexo, Syngenta and TetraPack.

“The next leaders of the future must be able to access guidance, support and opportunities provided by companies today. At Nestlé, we understand that the youth employability challenge has multiple dimensions and demands collective efforts from every sector of society to have a large scale positive impact. By signing the Agreement for Youth Employability of Mercosur, we join efforts to take a big step towards the promotion of employment among young people”, explained Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé Americas.

Young people are particularly affected by employment issues. According to the International Labour Organization, the unemployment rate among young people below 24 years old in Latin America and the Caribbean is 18.5%.

“Through a survey we developed last year, we learnt that 6 out of 10 youngsters consider that age and lack of experience are restrains when trying to access the formal labour market. We need to pay attention and adapt to this new generation that will be leading the future”, said Francisco Martínez Domene, CEO of Adecco Group Argentina and Uruguay.

The companies that signed the agreement acknowledge that youth unemployment is a huge challenge for society and that they play a role for solving it.

The meeting focused on the role of dual training as a tool for transforming society, as well as on perspectives regarding the jobs of the future, and successful business models for entrepreneurs.

Nestlé shall contribute to the Agreement through its global program “Initiative for Youth”, by creating 5,300 opportunities in Mercosur countries by the end of 2020. The company will also keep on delivering training for young people, focusing on employability and entrepreneurship.