​Long term unemployment has dramatic consequences, especially in terms of poverty and social exclusion, says Cllr Kieran McCarthy, EA coordinator in the SEDEC commission. Long term unemployment often causes a higher demand for social housing and local and regional authorities are the ones that bear the costs of ineffective policies in the area of unemployment.

 The underlying problem, according to Cll. McCarthy, is the lack of skills and the mismatch between qualifications and demand on the labour market. In his opinion, the educational system has to be more closely linked to the business environment.

At the CoR's SEDEC commission debate  on the Integration of the Long Term Unemployed into the Labour Market Cllr McCarthy said: there is a lack of awareness regarding instruments and funds available, aimed to encourage the creation of professional skills. A concrete example in this sense is that 79% of young people are unaware of the Youth Guarantee initiative.

A problem that many young people face when trying to enter the labour market is the lack of experience that can in fact be achieved only if they are able to secure a job in the first place.