Council of Europe and European Commission joint report assesses transition of rural youth

A report on the transitions of rural youth before and after the Covid-19 pandemic has been released by Youth Partnership, a partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Commission. Francisco Simões, a researcher at the Center for Psychological Research and Social Intervention (CIS-Iscte) at Iscte-Lisbon University Institute, is the lead author of this document.

© Council of Europe and European Commission

The report, titled “Here to stay? The transitions of rural youth before and after the Covid-19 pandemic”, examines the experiences of young people aged 18 to 30 living in rural areas in 14 European countries between 2019 and 2023. The research was conducted using data from Eurostat and Eurobarometer, analyses of policies, practices, and projects, as well as the perceptions of young people. In this multi-method analysis, the working group examined six dimensions, namely education, support systems, youth participation, employment, mobility, and access to leisure, culture, and sports.

Overall, the results indicate mixed progress in the transition of rural youth during the period analyzed. Although there are positive trends, such as increased participation in higher education and a reduction in the NEET (not in education, employment, or training) rate among young people, these advances contrast with persistent challenges, including a declining youth population, rising unemployment, low civic participation, and structural disadvantages in the rural labor market. In terms of policies, rural youth are not, in most cases, seen as a subgroup with specific needs, which results in fragmented and poorly targeted policies. Regarding social initiatives and international networks focusing on the education, employment, and mental health of these young people, Francisco Simões states that “the impact of existing initiatives is limited by weak intersectoral coordination, ad hoc, project-based funding, and a lack of long-term sustainability of local initiatives.” The data also indicate that informal community support seems to fill the gaps identified in institutional support.

With regard to employment, although young people report involvement in their work, it is seen as only moderately decent and meaningful. Employment success seems to depend largely on access to transportation (e.g., owning a car) and social capital (such as networks of contacts) rather than on institutional support provided by public employment services. “These patterns identify structural problems in the rural labor market,” explains Francisco Simões, adding that “employment policies for rural youth should prioritize decent and meaningful jobs that align with the objectives of rural development and territorial cohesion.” Although it is commonly thought that rural youth want to leave rural areas and live in urban environments, the report's data show precisely the opposite, with the majority of rural youth preferring to remain in their communities. This trend is justified by the growing influence of commuting, circular migration, and high living costs in urban centers.

According to the report, investment in informal support systems is key to improving the resources available to rural youth, and the team therefore calls for investment in social infrastructure that promotes cooperation between different stakeholders through participatory governance models. “The integration of rural youth into national and European programs only makes sense if it is carried out on a community basis,” concludes the researcher. The report was recently made available online on the Youth Partnership website, and its findings were discussed in October 2025 in a podcast featuring Francisco Simões.