Solving the affordability crisis for young Europeans

How can we build a more affordable future for young Europeans? This was the question that young people and European Commission Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness Roxana Mînzatu tried to answer at the Youth Policy Dialogue held in Brussels in March 2026.

The dialogue brought together 15 young people – 9 women and 6 men aged 21 to 29 from 12 different countries – who shared their experiences and ideas on what the rising cost of living means for them.

If you’re a young person in Europe, you can probably identify with one of these: not being able to get your own place because of shockingly high rents; managing to afford rent but relying on family to cover essentials like food and heating; or cutting back on leisure and cultural activities.

From classroom to workplace

One of the key takeaways was the need to strengthen the transition from education to employment. Solutions proposed included:

expanding traineeships and entry-level opportunities;
strengthening dialogue between education providers and employers;
making vocational education and training more recognised and more attractive from an early age, since technical professions are often overlooked as career paths;
improving financial education in schools to prepare young people for their first steps in the adult world; and
using wage subsidies and EU funding to support first-job experiences and access to quality employment.

EURES is one of the EU tools already in place to support fair labour mobility, offering services that open pathways for young people entering the labour market. It provides access to over 2.5 million job postings, valuable hints and tips, information on living and working conditions in different European countries and dynamic recruitment events. It also has a network of trained advisers who offer information, guidance and placement services to jobseekers.

A place to live

The dialogue also focused on housing affordability. To make more housing available, suggestions included simplifying building permit and construction procedures and incentives to renovate vacant properties. For more affordable accommodation, a European fund dedicated to housing young people was proposed, along with making smaller cities and rural areas more attractive for living and working. Other solutions included intergenerational housing and remote work.

The AI challenge

The need for continuous skills development was also highlighted, given the increasing automation of tasks usually performed by entry-level employees. At the same time, participants recognised that AI could speed up skill and qualification recognition across borders, modernise the labour market and boost worker mobility.

Mînzatu ended the dialogue by outlining the EU’s next steps to increase quality jobs, boost fair labour mobility and promote vocational training and digital education. If you’re young and wondering what you can do to help bring about change, the Executive Vice-President had an answer for that too: be politically active at local, national and European level. Policies remain flawed when young people are not part of the conversation.

If you’re interested in learning more about this year’s Youth Policy Dialogue, read the report. Or get informed about what it costs to live in the EU.

Related links:

Youth Policy Dialogue

2026 Youth Policy Dialogue Report

EURES – Find a job

EURES – Hints and tips for jobseekers

EURES – Living and working conditions in Europe

European Job Days

EURES Advisers

The cost of living in the EU

Read more:

European Job Days

Find EURES Advisers