Juventud, academia y empleo. Análisis de una desconexión

Abstract

In the Ecuadorian collective-imaginary, the idea that in order to achieve a competitive work development it is essential to pursue University studies prevails. The objective of this work is to carry out a theoretical approach to the current Academy-Labor relationship in Ecuador, taking the year 2019 as the frame. To do this, it starts from an interdisciplinary, statistical and sociological approach, while a quantitative and qualitative-interpretive methodology of official statistics and in-depth interview –with thematic structure– are used. As conclusion, the existence of a disconnection between the Academy and the productive sectors is sustained –which especially harms que segment of young people who have not yet managed to get involved in the labor field–, endangering the achievement of the United Nations 8th SDG by Ecuador, because of, according to the latest official measurements, the youth unemployment rate reaches 9% and only 35% of young people with higher degrees have adequate jobs.