Can we talk about NEETs?

[MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack]

Sorry if there's a thread already and I've missed it. But I want to talk about NEETs.

Apparently, we are potentially going to have 1.25million young people not in employment, education or training by the early 2030s. This is quite an alarming number, and it feels like we're failing an entire generation - both the NEETs themselves, who don't seem to have very much going on in their lives that might give them a sense of satisfaction or achievement, but also their working peers who will presumably end up having to support them via the tax system.

I really don't want this to be a thread with lots of judgement or criticism of these young people - it seems to me that we must have failed them somehow as a society. I also want to steer clear of party politics if we can. But I really want to understand why we have so many young people in this position right now.

Does anyone have a child in this situation who would be willing to share why they find themselves in this position? What are the barriers to them studying or getting at least a part time job? Are they happy with how things are right now? Are they trying to change their situation? What do they actually do all day? Are they surrounded by friends who are in the same position? What do they do about money? And what do you feel about the whole situation as a parent?

If anyone is willing to share, I really hope we can avoid a pile-on in which the young people and/or their parents are subjected to a character assassination. I would like an honest and frank exchange of views and experiences because I do genuinely want to understand the root causes of this issue, but if it descends into blame and fingerpointing, then the whole conversation will get derailed.

For full disclosure, I do have a dc in the middle of the 16-24 age group, but neither she nor any of her friends fall into this category.

There’s no will to do what actually works, which is why it’s still a problem 40 odd years on.

Of course not all of them.

I truly believe that a proportion of these young people just choose to not work and have parents who facilitate this mindset.
my two nephews being a case in point. They are 20 and 23 and neither have ever had any kind of job. They have no additional needs, no medical reason not to work but do have two parents who continue to provide everything they need so why bother? When asked, they say they aren’t willing to work for minimum wage and for anything less than a salary of £40k. When I laughed and said no one is going to offer that kind of salary to someone with no work ethic or experience the reply was ‘I know my worth’ They are delusional.
They spend all day asleep and all night up on their games consoles. They don’t leave the house for months at a time.

I do believe however that this kind of lifestyle will lead them both to have poor mental health before too long.

Out of curiosity, did you know Italy and Spain also have very high levels of NEETS?

I don't think "trans" is a major factor right now but it is worth noting that UK society will have to manage sickness and disability in working-age people who ahve been taking large quantities of hormones for long periods and even having surgeries which they would not have done a decade earlier. I don't know what the numbers are especially as some (many?) are taking hormones without a prescription. Though to be fair it may not be a bigger problem than other kinds of drug use.

Yes some "trans" young people have wonderful lives. Many do not. I don't think "trans" is really causing the employment problem but the increase in "trans" is a visible result of young people being encouraged to looking inwards for solutions - at "who they are" rather than "what they can do".

Exactly, so the good, decent kids are also terrorised in the classroom, without having the options that teachers have. Then they get laughed at for being anxious, feeling unsafe or traumatised for also being bullied, sworn at, beaten , sexually assaulted etc.

That was my whole point.

I think gaming, and internet use in general, is massive. You can live an entire ‘life’ at home and never leave and be permanently entertained relatively cheaply. Before, being unemployed would’ve been boring and expensive.

Yes I agree.

GardenC00k
High Emigration Rates: Historically and in recent years, when domestic opportunities are scarce or cost-of-living pressures hit hard, many young Irish workers choose to emigrate (e.g., to the UK, Australia, or Canada) for work, which artificially lowers the domestic youth unemployment and NEET tallies.

Why are they all choosing to emigrate to the UK, Australia and Canada if they can work in any country in Europe?

One reason is the cost of learning to drive at 70 quid a lesson most people cant afford to learn and are then very restricted on where they can work. Also self serve tills self serve McDonald's touch screens no pubs anymore so lots of first time jobs no longer exist

Presumably they come from a higher economic background if their parents can afford that? Which is just 9% of NEETs.

Or rather any country in the EU.

• Six in 10 Neets have never had a job. In 2005, this was four in 10, the report says
• But 84% of Neet young people surveyed want a job or training, it adds
• Entry-level jobs have sharply declined, with the number of mid- and lower-skilled jobs in the economy falling by around 1.6 million over the past 20 years - according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
• Vacancies in hospitality have halved in the last four years alone, ONS data also shows
• Citing a separate government report, apprenticeship starts among young people have fallen by 35% since 2017

So it’s nothing to do with any of the above findings in said report then?

But try claiming benefits in Italy… There are indeed a lot of NEETS (and have been for decades) but they are failure to launch people financed and housed by parents.

One problem in Italy is what has arisen here: fear of taking on a young person when you then can’t get rid of them. Cue mostly short contract jobs. It’s just don’t see how the Govt couldn’t foresee that faced with the prospect of being stuck with a useless and increasingly expensive young person, the employer decides not to hire anybody.

Language?

While the EU is a highly popular destination, young Irish citizens historically prefer English-speaking countries.

No. Sister earns around £30k and BIL around £40k.

Yes - obviously.

This is how i see it, and this plays a part aswell as various other issues im sure. They moved the age to stay in education/ training to 18. They thought that all these kids that never really liked school anyway would just roll over and go to college. They failed to increase apprenticeship opps. The kids didn’t roll over and are now NEETs. In addition apprenticeships are no longer just for school leavers so they are competing with all aged. An employer is more likely to employ a 25 year with rent to pay than a 16 year old still living at home.

My son started a plumbing T Level. He left in Feb of the first year because he could t source a placement so wouldn’t pass the course. Even if he did pass the course he would still need an apprenticeship afterwards. There were no apprenticeships. We contacted just about every relevant company in the county. He has been VERY lucky, he’s changed his trade and now has a carpentry apprenticeship lined up for September and has got some summer work until then.

if the government says you can’t leave school then they should guarantee that there is an apprenticeship available for all kids.

Indeed.

Reputation, job availability and most importantly speaking the language? It’s not exactly rocket science. How many British or Irish people can fluently speak a second language?

Not in my nephews cases. Neither have ever tried to find work. When they left education, they apparently needed time to decide what they wanted to do. So far the eldest has spent 3 years thinking and the youngest, a year.

How many British or Irish people can fluently speak a second language?

Not many.

It’s tragic what young people have lost due to Brexit and how different things could be now, particularly when you consider they didn’t vote for it.

The damage that the Tories and Nigel Farage did and will do to young people needs to be articulated more. It really does. All they do is ignore what they did, criticise young people and write them off whilst drawing the drawbridge up.

That’s your nephew. Don’t think those carrying out the research were focusing on your nephew