1.2 million 16-24 year olds currently out of work?

https://learningandwork.org.uk/what-we-do/employment-and-social-security/labour-market-analysis/november-2024/#:~:text=A%20further%20troubling%20rise%20means,career%20prospects%20and%20the%20economy. Is the figure being quoted from this?

Here's the data, but it's November 2024:

https://learningandwork.org.uk/what-we-do/employment-and-social-security/labour-market-analysis/november-2024/#:~:text=A%20further%20troubling%20rise%20means,career%20prospects%20and%20the%20economy.

It's odd that the TV news should be reporting this just now. A Google throws up nothing recent.

I spent the first two years of my career filing. I think youngsters would refuse to do that nowadays!

It definitely includes those just not looking for work, but I don’t think they can all be disabled and not capable of work, surely?

Definitely! They absolutely love her -she's quick and reliable and already has quite a few praise letters from managers. That was what was so frustrating during the months applying to so many jobs. Everyone wanted experience -as in a couple of years at least. We applied to one petrol station for a basic behind the counter job and they wanted someone who spoke at least one other language for minimum wage. I knew she would be a fantastic hire, just nobody would take her on. I've spoken to loads of other parents whose kids/teens/young adults have really struggled to get anywhere. I worked my way up from my office junior job at 16 which I got in a week after walking in with my CV. It just isn't like that anymore.

To consider too: my basic, minimum wage, hospitality job took me a few times to get (it was in a venue I really wanted to work in and offered chance for internal promotions which I've now taken) because of "experience", I eventually got it after having a couple of naff other minimum wage jobs (I had plenty of experience from volunteering which was more relevant to the job...). Recent hires for the same job have been much younger and less experienced than I was at the time, which is an improvement as it gives them chance and experience for the future. But most places aren't doing this

No of course it won't be correct unless it's a very poor survey. It includes ages where most will be at school and a third at uni. Where did you get it from?

I can't speak for McDonald's - but I know that many retailers don't seem to give a regular slot that would work for teens around college commitments. We all used to get a fixed Saturday job for instance, but there is a lot more 'you must be available for 16 hours a week, but we might not give you 16 hours and we will shift the 16 hours about'

Do those figures account for those in full time education as well?

Mines 21 and in her final year at university. She worked 40-50 hours a week on placement last year (unpaid) and therefore would have been counted as not working. She didn't have an earning job alongside because she was there 5 and a half days a week.
She can't have a job around university because of the nature of the course and needing to still do placements. She works when home for holidays on an ad hoc basis, so probably not counted there.
She did work between 17 and 19, around college, couldn't at 16 because of COVID.

Working time regulations and general restrictions on what young people can do make them undesirable to major employers. I imagine a fair few will be doing cash in hand "pot washer" type of jobs too. But as previously stated FT education for most

It really frustrates me when people say they can just "get a job in Sainsbury's". My ds had no luck with the supermarkets - those jobs are not easy to come by. He has picked up freelance gardening and warehouse work after a "chef" apprenticeship which was really not an apprenticeship but just part-time crap pay kitchen work where the hours were always reducing, he has done an access course and is applying for university. It is not easy for young people to get work.

@Hmmmmwhy i left school in the 80's, finished school on the Friday and started work the following Monday. Its not easy for them these days. Companies have so many people applying for very few vacancies

Also there are approximately 6.5m people in this age group in England alone from what I can find. 1.2m is quite a small % really

16-18 should be in full-time education
18- 21 many could be in uni or apprenticeship so say 50/50 for argument sake
That leaves 21-24 for being out of work plus 50% of 18-21 year olds. If we look at the numbers again, I bet it's massively reduced!

As (reported) total unemployment is only 1.5 million, which economically is effectively full employment, I don’t believe that 1.2 million As other have posted, an awful lot people in that age range will still be in education.

Youth Unemployment UK (whoever they are) have it at 13.9%, which is little lower than the EU average. They also say that of the 900k that are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) only 395k are unemployed. The rest are ‘economically inactive’. So the question is what are those 500k people doing!

DD is 20 and only got her first part time job last summer. Due to a mix of chronic pain, studying and in general there not being a huge amount of jobs out there. Every job description (no matter how hard or easy the job actually is) wants someone with experience - very hard to get started!

It’s a different world to the one I grew up in and finding part time/casual work is much harder

I also think that a lot of basic jobs have gone.

When I started work in 1980 - straight from school - I started as a filing clerk and worked my way up to a Girl Friday and then a Secretary. With all the technology now, most places don't need the same amount of admin support anymore. So a whole raft of "starter" jobs have gone.

It’s really hard for 16 year olds to get jobs, there’s working time directives employers should be adhering to, it’s easier just to employ from age 18, then, if they apply online, they have to get thru the online application, and computer invariably says no! Both mine have got jobs once they’ve interviewed in person.

I also hear that retailers prefer immigrants and older people because they don't complain about schedules and have better attendance records. A friend owns a bar, and many young people want weekends off, or go off for trips with friends at short notice.