Postcards of a crisis: youth unemployment and working into old age

Fernando is 77. He receives slightly more than the minimum pension and an additional allowance on top. To make ends meet, he still gives private chemistry and maths lessons. Zuyimar is 20. She has been looking for work since February, but has not even reached the interview stage. In today’s Argentina, these are two sides of the same crisis: youth unemployment is rising and is significantly higher than among adults, while an increasing number of pensioners are job-hunting in order to survive.

According to the most recent Permanent Household Survey (EPH) published by the INDEC national statistics bureau, the unemployment rate among young people is three times that of adults. In the fourth quarter of 2024, 13.8 percent of women aged 14 to 29 and 12.5 percent of men in the same age range were out of work, compared with 4.8 percent of women and 4.1 percent of men aged 30 to 64. The overall average (6.4 percent unemployment) is driven up precisely by youth joblessness.

The Human Capital Ministry reports that, in the third quarter of 2024, Argentina’s unemployment rate was 19.4 percent for those aged 18 to 24. Among those aged 25 to 34 it was significantly lower at 8.1 percent, while in the 35 to 49 and 50 to 59 age brackets, the rates were 4.2 percent and 3.6 percent respectively. 

Access to quality employment is also an issue for younger people: 65.5 percent of workers under 24 are in unregistered jobs, according to the portfolio. The figure fell to 29.5 percent among those aged 35 to 49, and 26.6 percent for those aged between 50 and 59.

“I have experience working on tills and in customer service, so I’ve been focusing on those sectors,” Zuyimar told Perfil. “The job hunt has been a bit frustrating. I’ve found that even though I’ve got experience and a real willingness to learn, no-one calls me or even gives me a shot at an interview.”

“Sometimes what they ask for just doesn’t make sense – they want someone young but with years of experience. They don’t give us a chance to show what we know or to use the tools we’ve learned. That ends up being discouraging, because it feels like no matter how much we prepare, it’s still not enough,” she said.

The other side of the coin

At the other end of the spectrum, more and more elderly pensioners are seeking work just to get by. These are people who have both the experience — and the need. 

“They’re two issues that are closely connected,” explained Eugenio Semino, Argentina’s Defensor de la Tercera Edad, or Ombudsman for Older Adults.

“When [the government] talks about pension reform, the only idea they come up with is raising the retirement age by five years. If they did that tomorrow, it wouldn’t change the current situation for pensioners – but it would affect young people, because you add five years [more onto their working life]. 

“Young people aged 18 to 23 can’t enter the formal job market. Argentina isn’t generating new jobs. These are two sides of the same coin,” Semino told Perfil in an interview. 

In addition, the longer people have to keep working, the smaller the labour market becomes for younger generations.

Fernando, a retired chemical engineer and teacher, gives lessons at his home to “make ends meet.” 

“My pension is just slightly above the minimum, and even though I’m a widower, live alone, don’t pay rent and don’t have major expenses, it’s still not enough,” he sighed.

“People look for work before their pension paperwork goes through, because they already know that retirement is a cliff – not a step into the next stage of life,” Semino stressed. “And that’s where there’s a huge market exploiting older people. They’re offered low-skilled jobs, sometimes far below the level of the work they did before retiring, unregistered and unstable.”

Semino said that while this phenomenon isn’t new, it has grown exponentially. “As the social crisis deepens – regardless of the macroeconomy – these situations become more common.”

Among the most typical jobs, Semino listed night porters in buildings and factories, driving unlicensed taxis or private cars, or care work in the case of retired women. Generally, these are precarious jobs that also pose health risks. 

“Another thing we’re seeing is tasks for which employers prefer older workers – but that’s not because the person wants to keep working; it’s because it helps make ends meet and to stay active.”

‘As long as’

Beatriz is 70. She still gives private lessons. “I like to stay busy as long as my body holds up. Teaching is what I know how to do. And it helps me with my expenses too,” she said.

A recent study by the Fundación COLSECOR found that work remains a strong presence in later life. “Whether it’s due to financial need, the desire to stay active, or the fear of getting bored in retirement – in every case, work is seen as essential to one’s development and quality of life,” wrote the report’s authors.

Isabel is 60 and receives the minimum pension. Her reasons for working are not singular. “I like working, and if I only rely on my pension, it’s not enough,” she said in an interview with Perfil.

According to research by the Centro de Economía Política Argentina (CEPA) think-tank, the purchasing power of those on a minimum pension has fallen by 15.3 percent since Milei took office, along with the freezing of the 70,000-peso monthly bonus since March 2024.

The real issue, Semino notes, is the large number of retirees who are not in a position to choose whether to keep working. “The retiree who works out of necessity, loses by force of need,” he concluded.