Nearly 1m young people out of work

[Starfeesh]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62gzl2yl24o

AIBU to be concerned that a life on benefits seems to be a viable option, and glad Labour are bringing in compulsory work placements?

There shouldn't be benefits for young people who haven't worked and paid in. They receive years of tax payer funded education, people in many countries can only dream of this!

The onus should be on parents to raise their children with a work ethic and give them skills. Why is it always the states fault?

There are several sources that publish similar data so it’s quite frequent and it’s under a lot of scrutiny right now.

I agree that SEND provision is failing but it’s also a failure of government to say a diagnosis means someone should be written off on benefits. That is happening, as with people of all ages signed off sick. There has to be a middle ground between assessing people for work in case their terminal illness has improved, and simply saying oh well, you’re autistic so you can never achieve employment

Try using Logic rather than benefit bashing propaganda.

The job market is dire for everyone but especially for young people as employers are cutting down on hiring and don't want people with no experience.

Recent graduates and school leavers can't magically enter the workplace if they are no job for them to do.

The bile and bitterness against young people on this thread is truly pathetic.

we need a business model for society thats not based on profit

We've tried some. They weren't an amazing success.

My son spent so much time at uni trying to get work. From endless applications on indeed etc (only to find there were 600 applications for one job at Superdry etc) to traipsing round cafes and shops at his uni town and home to try and find any work. He signed up with events agencies too. Even at his uni cafes. He got nothing. I looked at his application; it was fine. There were too many going for the same jobs. Often read on here how easy is for young people to get jobs in hospitality. Must depend on the town. It was v disheartening.

I genuinely think the term 'benefit bashing' should be banned on Mumsnet. It's become meaningless and is used just an attempt to shut down discussion on welfare reform. If someone suggested that we need to cut back on military spending or HS2 would that be 'defence dragging' or 'transport trashing'? We need to have mature and reasoned discussion and debate about one of our biggest areas of spending.

Young people should not be on benefits in the numbers that they currently are. It isn't good for them or the country, in the short or long term.

There clearly are jobs available. We still have shortage areas where work is readily available and yet young people aren't compelled to apply for these roles? Why? I understand they would rather do something else but as you state the job market is dire and beggars can't be choosers. Except they can because they would rather not work at all and claim off the state then do a job they don't want to do. Meanwhile we have a care crisis and ultimately somebody has to do this work. This is what I find unforgivable. If we had an abundance of workers in every area then fair enough, there simply aren't enough jobs to go around but we know that this isn't the case.

but the current one only needs so many people, combined with tech then outsourcing to other countries, so then covid provide all this

Would you really want somone providing intimate care for your elderly parents or disabled child ,who was only there because they had to be ?
I worked in a nursing home at 17 to get experience before I did my nurse training
And its hard work but not everyone is suited to it
When I was a nurse I worked. With some staff that should never have got a job in the care/ health sector as they lacked any empathy or understanding
Vulnerable people who cant advocate for themselves are much more likely to be abused .

It's easy to talk about banning the term "benefits bashing" if you're not sick or disabled and not being made to feel like a scrounger and a burden and drain on society, because that is how it comes across when you're on that side of the fence. Yes, no system is perfect and there will be some fraudulent claimants, but a lot of genuine people are being or going to be hurt by all of this.

Historically, societies have been best flourishing when they are growing economically and job creation is strong.

I don't see that truth changing.

I don't think we can expect to have a thriving society by outsourcing everything to tech/cheap labour in other countries while leaving most of the population idle. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

As a disabled person, my experience is that employers don't want the "problem" of disabled staff, no matter how much they say all the right stuff about diversity etc.

I only get jobs when I don't mention my disability on applications or interviews. For people with visible or otherwise undisguisable disabilies, this isn't an option.

Even then, once my health conditions flare up and become noticeable, which they do every few years however well I manage them, I'm gently (or no so gently) encouraged to leave 🙄

The younger generation is hugely entitled. Many (not all) expect rather than want. There should be no given right to a certain lifestyle, it should be through attainment.

Thie situation is partly due to parenting. I think many need to look inward as to why there is a problem.

When I worked full time I was on a continuous cycle of burn out, sick leave, staggered return, full time, workload ramped up, burn out etc.

I reduced my working hours in the end for the sake of my health, but it has severely restricted my career as few jobs are offered part time anymore. I usually have to take full time jobs and then negotiate reduced hours, then people get snotty that I knew I couldn't work full time when I took the job, but if I didn't do this I would have been unemployable and on benefits for the last 20 years 🤷

IMO the decline in availability of part time jobs since 2010 has had a massive impact on the young (working while studying), the disabled (can't manage full time) and people with caring responsibilities (can't be out the house for long hours). I suspect this contributes to the number of people "economically inactive" (how I fucking despise that term).

As far as I can see, there aren’t really a lot of nighttime shelf stacking jobs as they are done by the main supermarket staff.

This is also a problem. When I was young I worked all the antisocial shifts other people didn't want to do (Friday and Saturday nights, weekend mornings) because they paid more, and because I could attend college during the day. Now many of these type of jobs will only take on people who are willing or able to work whatever time if day/night they are told to, rather than employing different people for early and late shifts.

Demands by employers for 24/7 flexibility excludes people who are studying, or have any caring responsibilities (children or other family), or who can't drive and need to stick to bus time tables, etc.

The place my h works at has just said they can’t/wont take any graduates this year. And it’s a big company. There is a serious shortage of graduate jobs and this isn’t the fault of young people.

It’s terrible for everyone that so many young people are out of work. But currently there are 2.6 unemployed people for every vacancy so there are not enough jobs available. Shortage occupations are not always ‘jobs someone doesn’t want to do’, many are ‘jobs we don’t have sufficiently skilled people to do’.

Not everyone can get a job as a carer - nor should they. The answer is going to take time, and in the meantime we have to make sure young people are fed and clothed and have the chance to do at least some things that will keep them happy and motivated.

As a disabled person in my 50s, too young (and poor) to retire, too ill to work, and not ill enough for benefits, I can tell you a lot of people are just highlighting that people like me are a "problem" and a "burden on society" and a "drain on the economy" every fucking day and it sure feels like blame.

From someone in the same age bracket and a similar situation, thank you!

Would you mind sharing the type of work this recruitment agency have on offer? Is it hospitality/retail/office

Yes id be interested too.

DDs first job last summer was working for a festival, they weren't advertising she just emailed the organiser and asked if they were recruiting.
But she was paid a daily rate which worked out at less than minimum wage some days, and it was a 2hr commute each way. But she said it was the quickest way she was going to earn a few hundred quid. And certainly a lot quicker than her current zero hours job.

They need to get a grip and find a job. Any job. Most are precious about what they do. All of us have been in the same situation. After uni I had no option but to get work. I wasn’t living at home being bankrolled by parents. I took anything. Yes minimum wage. All of us did. We made it work. It paid off.

Did you not notice the recent report showing a record low number of graduate jobs available at the moment?

It's not about youngsters not wanting a job (some don't!), but there not being any jobs for the vast majority who do want a job.

Amazing that you know the thoughts and wishes of a million people.

Statistics show a record low number of available jobs. Lots of youngsters want a job, any job, but simply can't get one.

My son made a few dozen graduate job applications in his final year of Uni - he spent hours and hours on them over several months. His flatmates were doing the same. All going through stage after stage of the various online application procedures, getting excited when they "passed" a stage and moved onto the next stage. It was soul destroying how much time they wasted when they got rejected time and time again in the later stages.

My son finally got a very good graduate scheme job offer and is now in his third year working for one of the UK's biggest insurance firms. But each year since he started, they're taking on fewer and fewer graduates every six monthly intake. In his dept, he was one of four, in the last intake, they only took on one.