Lutsky: Belarus should compete for its youth

MINSK, 1 December (BelTA) – There is a competition for human resources in the world, and Belarus should also fight for its youth, Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Lutsky said at a meeting of the board of the Belarus President Administration dedicated to the youth policy, BelTA has learned.

Igor Lutsky emphasized that the youth policy is a very important part of the state's ideology. “Comprehensive support of the youth by the head of state prompted the development of an extensive legal framework formalizing guarantees and conditions for the personal and professional growth and self-fulfillment of young people. This legal framework is one of the most complete in the CIS countries. It provides for guarantees in the field of education, family and labor relations, support for talented youth, support for youth organizations, youth parliaments and self-government,” he said.

The deputy head of the Belarus President Administration cited global youth and human development ratings. Thus, according to comparative international studies published in 2020, Belarus ranks 51st out of 180 countries in the youth development index and is among the countries with a high level of youth development, ahead of Kazakhstan and Russia. The Youth Progress Index 2021 ranks Belarus 52nd out of 150 countries.

“Undoubtedly, the high positions of Belarus in these and other international ratings testify to our country's progress in human potential development. “At the same time, I would like to say that Belarus is experiencing all the risks and threats that global processes are posing today. We are witnessing fierce competition for human resources, technology and assets around the world. Digital transformation, consumption, individualism, mass culture and the information society are putting the Belarusian social development model to the test, in fact, breaking the gene code of the Belarusian society that has always been defined by traditional values, benevolence, hard work and aspirations for a fair distribution of benefits. Hence, the future of our country depends on whether we will be able to strengthen the intellectual, social, spiritual potential of the youth and our society. In fact, today we must literally fight for our youth to stay in their homeland and work for the common good of the Belarusian state and society,” Igor Lutsky said.

According to Igor Lutsky, the important trends defining the Belarusian society and its youth include the progressive aging of the population and the desire of young people to live in cities. According to him, the number of Belarusians aged 14 to 31 decreased by 17.4% over four years. The youth accounts for 20% of the country's population (21% in 2016). “The population of Belarus and other European and CIS countries is aging,” he stated.

There are also some regional and industry-specific features of the youth population. Young people seek to move to urban communities. Less than 20% of young people live in rural areas. The most ‘young' regions include the capital city (420,000 young people), Minsk Oblast and Gomel Oblast; while Mogilev Oblast and Grodno Oblast round out this ranking. “The trend is clear: Minsk is the center of gravity,” Igor Lutsky noted.