Brussels (epd). More and more young Europeans are completing an internship right before starting their careers, as an analysis by the European Court of Auditors published on Tuesday shows. The auditors estimated the number at around 3.7 million per year. According to the report, internships make it easier to start a career. Two thirds of those surveyed found a job within six months of completing an internship. The auditors emphasized that this is particularly important in view of youth unemployment.
However, according to the analysis, the problem is that around a third of interns are not paid. Young people often have to turn down an internship because they cannot afford it. This in turn could make it more difficult for socially disadvantaged young people to enter the job market.
According to the study, a particularly large number of young professionals in Germany complete an internship. Accordingly, 90 percent of those surveyed in Germany had completed at least one internship. France came in second place (87 percent), followed by the Netherlands (86 percent), the Czech Republic and Malta (both 54 percent) and Sweden (53 percent). However, EU countries define the term “internship” very differently, making it difficult to collect comparable and valid data, the auditors added.
The EU Statistical Office (Eurostat) does not collect overall data on internships in the member states. The analysis therefore refers to non-representative surveys and other studies between 2013 and 2023. In their study, the EU auditors only refer to internships directly before starting a career. Internships as part of a course of study are excluded from this. Experts roughly estimate all forms of internships at 14 million per year.