Abstract (EN)

In January 2010, Haiti has been hit by the worst earthquake in its dramatic history. It was followed by an unprecedented international mobilization. Since then, a succession of natural disasters has struck the country (floods, epidemics, etc.). At the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the seism, we examine the place and the role played by the Youth in this context of exception. This paper focuses on the insertion of the Youth on the labour market. Labour markets are the transmission belt between the macroeconomic dynamics and household living conditions, as the job earnings constitute the main households resources in developing countries, especially the poor. The thorough analysis of their situation is guided by a key thread: have they been spared, compared to their elders, whether through family solidarity or through international assistance; or conversely, have the Youth been sacrificed as the generational "weak link". Our analysis is based on the first socioeconomic survey post-earthquake. Conducted at the national level the last quarter of 2012 by the National Statistics Office of Haiti with the scientific support of the authors, the results are available for the first time. To study the dynamics, they are compared with those from a comparable survey conducted in 2007 by the same partners. Our results show that young people, and those from disadvantaged social origin in the first place, were the main victims of the downward adjustment caused by the earthquake. The sharp deterioration of their labour market conditions is not only iniquitous but it also compromises the development of Haiti in the medium term.