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

[Hmmmmwhy]

just heard this on the telly, is this correct? Anyone any anecdotal data (your own children- mine are much younger) of why? I find that astounding imagine if these young people never work, terrifying

Breaks my heart someone close to me is autistic and unemployed despite going on job interviews almost every day. Was trying to explain on another thread on Mumsnet (one where a lot of posters were saying it's just laziness 🙄) that it's not through lack of trying, almost every employer seems to want someone who's "a people person, sociable etc" even when the job involves practically no customer interaction.

Makes it practically impossible for most autistic people who struggle with social cues then after all that rejection they have to put up with being called lazy and waste of space etc

I'm not sure who is to blame but more people in their 40s and early 50s started work with degrees than those in their 60s and 70s.

College certificates are now seen as a stepping stone to a degree rather than a qualification in their own right.
And a fair percentage of people have been forced to up their qualifications to degrees to keep up with the job market.

There was a serious change for those leaving school in the 80s to those who left in the 90s.
I started uni in 93, on a BSc Hons, the people who were finishing the same course didn't do Hons.

I get plenty of wives calling in sick for their sick husbands so this really is nothing new/specific to young people.

In my area they don't have those kinds of jobs available. I just checked. Those duties are included in roles that also require a counterbalance (fork lift) licence.

I don't think it's all that easy for teenagers to find work nowadays.

But I also don't think it's particularly important for them to work either - I've honestly never known an employer show any interest in whether I might have worked in McDonald's at sixteen or not.

I never worked until I left university - I got every job I ever interviewed for and nobody had ever asked me why I didn't work during sixth form. I just don't think it matters either way.

But I also don't think it's particularly important for them to work either - I've honestly never known an employer show any interest in whether I might have worked in McDonald's at sixteen or not.
I never worked until I left university

It's important if they need the money. My dd is at university on maximum loan & luckily she chose an area with cheap rents but she is on an extremeley tight budget.

Exactly

Lots of jobs which once would have "only" been responsible for "easy" tasks now require more training and licences because they either employ less people so need them to be able to do everything or recognise having cross trained staff works to cover absence so they can be like "Reg has phoned in sick so Tim can you cover him as your team can cope one person down but Reg's needs the extra hand"

It definitely matters if you want luxuries and Mum and Dad can't self fund your experience at uni.

Not all teenagers get everything handed to them. It helps appreciate the value of money earning your own. I worked before and throughout university life too. You just get on with it.

I am one of these young people who can't find a job. I have applied for over 300 jobs since February last year and had 2 interviews. One was for an agency that stopped returning any communication and the other was for an in-person customer service agent at Vodafone, where I did a group interview up against 6 Indian men who didn't even live in England. Make of that what you will.

Nobody is getting back to us. I have childcare experience and retail experience, at least 2 yrs in both. If that's not enough for an entry-level job, what makes you think young people with no experience will get one?

Gosh, I though child care providers were crying out for workers?

Qualified workers

You can't just walk into childcare

My DD got a PT job in care whilst at Uni, 18yo, crying out for them, but you need a car or live in a town and be prepared to walk.

I was pretty shocked, i thought she wouldn't last at it but she loved meeting the older people, very little personal care as the vast majority can toilet themselves.

It's surprisingly hard to even get a basic customer service job without experience. I tried at 16-17 but it wasn't until I was 18 and had volunteered (unpaid) extensively that I got to work in Debenhams for an exciting £6.30/hr (this was a few years ago).

I'm out of the 16-24 age bracket now but I think they probably have the same problem older people have - just not enough jobs to go around.

Retail jobs are reducing every year. They employ people with experience. Carers jobs or call centres are the areas crying out for staff

@Vettrianofan and @Comefromaway - I meant it doesn't appear to be important in terms of the impact on people's long term career - the fact that some may need to earn money is a whole different issue.

Yes, but didn't that just take what had been polytechnics and re-brand them as universties? There was no actual increase in capacity...

@Tryingtokeepgoing fair point to raise. Although student numbers still increased by near 16% between 1992 and 1997, and then by 10.5%, much slower growth, over the next five years to 2002; then a 19% increase in the five years to 2007. The whole Blair thing, is I think, just a bit more nuanced than sometimes its made out to be.