It seems the problem is that your youth are not crazy consumers armed with credit cards. If you want consumerism to spread you should focus on increasing credit card debt/use. I obtained my first credit card when I left home for college, now less than a decade later I could go out and run up tens of thousands in debt. In addition, I receive 2-3 credit card offers a day. Seriously, the US economy is all about debt. Don't compare yourself to it, or measure yourself by it, unless you want credit card debt to be part of your cultures. There is no economic miracle, we simply spend more than we earn every year

On the question of labour: If there is a shortage of skilled labour, why don't you encourage your unemployed youth to pick up a hammer or take up a trade. Everyone seems to want to work in an office. Perhaps, we should  focus less on "high-skilled" jobs and seek to expand employment in things like farming and construction (this goes for the US as well).