The Dominican Republic has coined a new term, “nini”, which is derived from Spanish and refers to the fact that some 14% of the population between the ages of 10 and 34 does not study, does not work and does not seek work. (In Spanish: Ni estudia, ni trabaja ni busca trabajo). The number of people, some 636,000 according to a report from the Ministry of Labor’s Dominican Labor Market Observatory was based on the National Labor Force Survey (2000-2012). This high percentage reflects the difficulties of finding work, or a lack of motivation on the part of young Dominicans to enter or remain in the labor or academic worlds. In this group the sub-set that shows the highest percentage of unemployment or truancy are young people between the ages of 20 and 24, some 30% of the total, representing 189,000 people.
Almost half (40%) have reached secondary school and almost half (40%) have had primary schooling, and only 10% have received no schooling and 8% have even attended university. As a result, many have problems finding that first job and their jobless rate is two or four times higher than the adult rate. Their lack of experience, training and contacts seriously limits their chances, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.