Scrivener.net

Friday, August 12, 2005

Ingrate French kids spurn French Family Values

France's young set off on 'bon voyage' to better life

France is facing an unprecedented new-generation exodus as many of its disillusioned younger people leave in search of a better life abroad.

Fed up with a country they describe as rigid, racist and old-fashioned, French youngsters are opting for a new start in Britain, Canada, America or New Zealand where they can find housing and jobs more easily than in France.

Unemployment among the under-25s in France stands at 23.3 per cent, and 40 per cent of 18-30 year-olds describe their financial state as "difficult". Many cite French employment practices as being at the root of the problem...

The French tradition of offering university graduates low- paid short-term work experience, rather than full-time employment, is also blamed for the precarious financial situation in which many young French people find themselves. A massive 36 per cent of the working population aged from 25-29 say they have no job security...

So those guaranteed jobs and long vacations aren't for everybody.

Zoot alors! It seems 29-year-olds don't have families in France!
Sociologist Olivier Galland believes a cultural gap is opening up between the young and the rest of French society.

"Eighteen- to 30-year-olds have an image of a rigid, authoritarian country lacking flexibility," he said. "They are looking for a more flexible hiring system ... as they head for those [other] countries..."
[Scotsman]

"But children, we rigged this job market for you!"