Honduras 2051: Education and Employment

Honduras has more potential than most people realize. Many things can change, but trends in demographics are pretty well established for the next 35 years. The young work-force is increasing rapidly and two out of three people will be of working age (15-64) from 2030 to 2050. As the working age population increases, dependency rates will fall, but the benefits are not automatic. Other countries with the same demographic changes Honduras is experiencing recorded increases in poverty, violence and political instability, with insufficient employment for young people. Some countries achieved accelerated economic growth with a rapidly growing young work-force by preparing young people to compete in the world economy and attracting investments for employment. In Honduras, more than 60% of the economically active population was unemployed, underemployed, or dropped out of the labor market after losing hope of finding employment during 2017. Young people are the most affected and the countrys most important resource is being neglected. Children are leaving primary school with deficiencies in reading, writing and math. Less than half of the youth are completing high school and standardized test scores for students in their final year are below 50%. With the working age population increasing by an average of 2% a year from 2015 to 2045, Honduras has an opportunity for economic growth, reductions in poverty, and better employment opportunities for young people. Honduras could be doing much better in a decade, with more investments for employment and a better educated young work-force meeting international academic and technical standards, but this will require reforms. Meaningful reforms will require a wider public understanding of the forces at work and the obstacles Honduras is facing. That is the purpose of this book - to help more people become aware of the potential for accelerated economic growth and better employment opportunities for young people. Honduras tiene ms potencial de lo que se le reconoce. Aunque muchas cosas pueden cambiar, el crecimiento de la poblacin en edad de trabajar de Honduras no va a cambiar. Entre los aos 2030 y 2050, dos de cada tres Hondureos (65% a 66%) van estar en la edad de trabajar (15 a 64). Con el aumento en la poblacin en la edad de trabajar, las tasas de dependencia sern reducidas, pero los beneficios no son automticos. Varios pases experimentando los mismos cambios demogrficos de Honduras, con el crecimiento acelerado de la fuerza laboral joven, tuvieron aumentos en la pobreza, crmenes y violencia, inestabilidad social y poltica por la falta de empleo para jvenes. No obstante, algunos otros pases tuvieron altas tasas de crecimiento econmico, reducciones en la pobreza y mejores oportunidades de empleo con el aumento de la fuerza laboral joven, a travs de la preparacin de la juventud para competir en la economa mundial e inversiones para mejores empleos. En Honduras, ms del 60% de la poblacin econmicamente activa estuvo desempleada, subempleada o sali del mercado de trabajo despus de perder la esperanza de encontrar empleo durante 2017. Los jvenes son los ms afectados y el recurso ms importante de Honduras no est recibiendo la preparacin necesaria. Menos de la mitad de los jvenes estn terminando la educacin secundaria y los estudiantes en la educacin primaria y secundaria tienen deficiencias en habilidades bsicas de lectura, escritura y matemticas. La ventana de oportunidades para Honduras y los jvenes es ahora, desde 2015 al 2045, con la poblacin en edad de trabajar creciendo al promedio del 2% por ao, pero se requieren reformas. Reformas significativas requieren el apoyo de la poblacin, con el reconocimiento del potencial de Honduras y los obstculos para lograr mejores oportunidades de empleo para los jvenes. Este es el propsito de Honduras 2051.