To think we need to start talking about the lack of jobs?

[Newmeagain]

This is prompted by quite a few threads I have read recently, from parents of young people looking for jobs or posters themselves struggling with finding a job.

I feel like a lot of responses are completely out of touch and people are not aware how hard it is right now. There are no “supermarket jobs” etc that you can just pick up.

I think this is having a particularly significant impact on school leavers and graduates looking for their first full time job, students wanting part time work and also anyone over 50 who suddenly finds themselves unemployed.

In the first wave it wasn't it mainly lower skill roles, call centers and backoffice, now increasing it is the high skill professional services that are being outsourced. It makes sense in world where everything is virtual anyway.

I think part of it is going to uni and coming out with, say, a first class degree in English Literature, and then wondering why you can’t get a £60k job straightaway - those type of degrees aren’t guaranteeing a job. Apprenticeships also pay very little. I’m not sure what the answer is

My 16-year-old just got a job in a kids' softplay centre. She just emailed her CV to the email address on their page and got invited for an interview, then a trial day and then got the job. We're in London though, so may be more jobs around here for teens.

Maybe shaping degree courses to meet industry need rather than 3 years studying story books.

Retail was always an easy way into the jobs market for young people. Online shopping has changed that, along with self-checkouts. There is work out there, but you do have to be tenacious. Minimum wages are being subsidised by benefits so I don't have an issue with wages rising so benefit costs can fall - the tax payer should not be subsidising companies who don't pay workers enough to live on, and certainly didn't used to happen in the past. Lots of young people (and others) are now being entrepreneurial - they do gardening/cleaning/cake baking/tutoring etc, and working for yourself is so much easier now you can advertise online.

Is he only looking for one type of job? Has he got another filler type job to keep him going until he finds something in his line of work?

I always see carers and early years as options for people who say there aren’t any jobs around.

Really? You think that anyone can be a carer looking after very vulnerable people? Same with looking after young children?

Its actually you that have come across as rude Goatsarebest. I was quite taken aback by all of your comments. To call out someone else's post as rude shows a spectacular lack of self awareness.

Labour hasn’t helped the situation. Vacancies are still ‘needed’, but many employers are hiring more cautiously because the cost of employing people, particularly for small businesses, has risen significantly - minimum wage these days is high!

It’s also fair to acknowledge that many roles in sectors such as hospitality, retail care etc are now filled by people who have moved to the UK from overseas. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, but it is part of a wider picture and it is absolutely not ‘racist’ to point it out.

I also think we need to acknowledge why this is needed - I honestly think a lot, not all, but a lot of young British people these days don’t want to do jobs such as care etc, a lot of them feel they deserve more without the experience and these jobs are below them.

What's racist about saying there are a lot of Indian workers in the UK?

It's fact. Look at the gov.uk websites and look at ethnicity of workers.

About a million Indian-born workers working in the UK when there are about 34 million population in work means they represent almost 3% of the entire workforce. And when we know that different ethnic groups have higher populations depending on area, that's a lot more Indian workers in say Birmingham than in Cornwall so there's higher concentrations so more visibility.

People need to stop yelling 'racist' and actually do some research first.

Indian visa holders have to pay a NHS surcharge of 1035 pounds upfront as part of their application every year even if they don’t use the nhs, this is a nice earner for the government.

In the 1980s, 15% of people went to uni; in the 1990s, it was 30%. Today it is 50%. Perhaps we don't need that many graduates? Young people are turning away from the uni route, which may well land them with lots of debt and no job.

52% of graduate doctors unable to get work

There are a few reasons this is happening, but we do need doctors and they have studied for 5 years thinking they would get a job in the uk at the end of it - but instead are unemployed

For a start those ridiculous multi choice scenarios need to be banned from from applications (particularly coffee places seem to include them ) it has caused my autistic dd so many issues and she never even gets an interview despite being an amazing barista and being available to work full time. I imagine it’s the same for a lot of SEN applicants

That's another valid point.

I remember in a previous job ten years ago our two admin staff complaining they had low-paid admin jobs when they had degrees. The degrees? theology and music.

Also, people say their kids and their friends all have jobs in supermarkets/McDonald's/KFC when they were 16-18 and have been there ever since, transferring between their home town and Uni city.

And this is where the difference is - a year or two ago, the jobs were there and those who got one have kept it. Just 12 or 18 months later and the picture is so, so different and a job in McDonald's is a pipe dream.

That's down to Government incompetence. If you just reduce waiting lists by removing the dead people rather than treating anyone you don't need as many staff.

It’s also fair to acknowledge that many roles in sectors such as hospitality, retail care etc are now filled by people who have moved to the UK from overseas. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, but it is part of a wider picture and it is absolutely not ‘racist’ to point it out.

Where are you getting your "many" from?

Cos I have it at 25% of those particular sectors, which is leaving 75% as British born. NHS is 20% leaving 80% British born

Is there a big shortfall of forensic psychologists? I have literally no idea.

Its absolutely down to government incompetence, not someone doing a degree that doesn't fit industry needs

There was a programme about this the other day. They just bang out a standard, unadapted application letter, to fulfil requirements for benefits, with no desire to get the job.

Agree not all UK degrees are unaligned with industry - but many are. Software developers for example seem to be coming out of uni skilled in the world as it was 5 years ago rather than it is today.

Indian people tend to have a much better work ethos than young white people.

i think it depends where you live, but available jobs are changing. Local supermarkets dont need as much staff, and pubs aren’t as busy. BUT, where I live there are tons of jobs for young people in local independent cafes and shops. But, to be fair I live in a touristy area where the high street is busy and vibrant.
I still think good jobs for young people are cafe work, life saver (swimming) or general leisure centre, personal trainer, beauty and supporting trades people.
Getting ‘career’ jobs have ALWAYS been hard. Let’s not pretend graduates weren’t applying for 100s of jobs 20 years ago…. They were. Universities are also always behind the job market. AI will massively change accounting, IT and finance. Now, more than ever, the thing that will make you employable is communication, team work and problem solving. I’m not saying it’s not hard…but it has always been hard.
As an aside, the last 2 young trainees have been terrible. Wanting to WFH all the time. Showing up late. Both had endless mental health (stress) problems so couldn’t do XYZ. We then employed an older woman part time and she’s absolutely amazing. It’s a job in the arts.

Those service roles you mention used to be completely done by easter Europeans but after Brexit, there's no one to do these. Indian people coming over here are coming for education and work and are doing these.

In terms of outsourcing, its much cheaper. We are due to cut 2/3 of finance in the next few weeks with all jobs moving to India. For the cost of 1, you get three people there, usually more efficient too.

I think the lack of jobs is a separate issue to race. Its AI and the economy generally bringing us to our knees. There are roles but we are trying to keep recruitment internally or its about who you know. Whereas before we could have just used LinkedIn or recruiters.