The Ten Billion Euro Opportunity: Unlocking the Potential of Roma Youth

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Europe is facing a major workforce challenge. Nearly two million workers will exit the EU labour market every year for the next 15 years—just as labour shortages in essential sectors continue to grow. At the same time, millions of Roma youth, Europe’s youngest and fastest-growing ethnic group, remain excluded from employment, education, and training. In fact, 56% of Roma aged 15–24 are not in education, employment or training—nearly five times the EU average.

This report presents a model showing that targeted investment in Roma youth—especially for roles in EU-identified shortage occupations—can deliver economic returns in as little as one to four years. In Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania alone, achieving Roma employment parity could generate between €1.95 billion and €10 billion in additional GDP annually.

EU policy frameworks and funding instruments—such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), ESF+, and the European Semester—are already in place to support this kind of inclusive investment. Yet Roma youth remain largely excluded due to poor outreach, inaccessible employment services, and persistent structural barriers including transport, childcare gaps, and welfare disincentives. Polling confirms that Roma want to work—but current systems often fail to reach or support them.

To close this gap and realise the full economic potential of Roma youth, action must shift from policy commitments to effective delivery. That means:

• Scaling up training in high-demand sectors
• Removing the structural barriers that prevent participation
• Involving Roma-led organisations as strategic partners
• Delivering targeted, proactive outreach