'Lost generation’: why can’t young people get jobs? What should be done?

Disaffescted or disenchanted youth, whatever the words are, is also not good for society as a whole.
They can find things to do which are disruptive.

I dont know the answers.

I have no idea what things are like elsewhere, but a nearby supermarket to me has a robot brushing the floors.

Also, may not be the same everywhere, there are always jobs in the care sector.

A few years ago, some of my daughters' friends couldnt get a job.
They went into caring. To their surprise they loved it. Became nurses, and love that too.

I know that would not be the same for everyone.

Plevey08

Apparently 33 percent of those not in education work ot training (Neets) are graduates. Possibly degrees are not matched to employers needs. Some who have been permanently excluded from school often don't get jobs. Some are being asked to go on apprenticeships but families know their son/daughter will lose their benefits and will get too little from apprenticeships. Understandably families are unable to manage without that benefit. Many in that age group are trying desperately to find work. Because of the minimum wage rising and business rates rising many companies are reducing staff levels. AI has some impact but I notice everywhere in supermarkets, cafes, pubs etc have a skeleton staff. The government needs to support businesses for them to make it worthwhile employing that age group..Employers now prefer more experienced staff as it doesn't cost them much more than employing youngsters with little or no experience. This is a terrible situation for youngsters, their families and businesses. To get growth you have to invest in schools, NHS and businesses.

Under 25’s get £338.58 per month in Universal Credit. These days I’d very much doubt ANY apprenticeship would pay less than this.

I’m afraid it’s an outdated response and excuse.

Many under 25 year olds DO want to work, many sadly do not.

I worked within various job centres across Essex, in varying capacities, between 2009-2022, this isn’t new.

Until the cycle of third generation benefit claimants is broken, those in this category won’t change.

There are schemes for those interested and there are jobs, better help needs to be offered to all young people at all levels to assist them in finding out what’s out there.

Just in case you know any young people struggling to get their first step into paid employment, the below might help.

Old advice such as hand out your CV etc aren’t a lot of help these days, at least 80% of vacancies are now online and reasonable IT skills and understanding are required. 10% of jobs at lower levels are word of mouth and various means for the remaining 10%.

It’s hard (and thankless) work looking for work and applying for jobs, especially if you have zero work experience.

Our young people who want to work deserve so much better and those who don’t need a bomb up their bottoms!

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi

www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life?utm_medium=Search&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=SfL&utm_term=CLP&utm_content=2526&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23085552432&gclid=CjwKCAjw8uTQBhAdEiwAVvtJyjSAlcbCrVtBr633xKE_3nv61irnn3cUi6zjzkrFEIb1GdJb4kvlPRoCtIcQAvD_BwE

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/

fancythat

Also, may not be the same everywhere, there are always jobs in the care sector.

A few years ago, some of my daughters' friends couldnt get a job.
They went into caring. To their surprise they loved it. Became nurses, and love that too.

I know that would not be the same for everyone.

I think across the UK there are opportunities in the care sector. The roles do vary from admin, to actual care, cleaning, laundry, kitchen. As you say it’s not for everyone but there are opportunities to be trained and move up.

fancythat

Also, may not be the same everywhere, there are always jobs in the care sector.

A few years ago, some of my daughters' friends couldnt get a job.
They went into caring. To their surprise they loved it. Became nurses, and love that too.

I know that would not be the same for everyone.

The government, society in general if you like, has inflated job prospect far beyond the economies needs in addition migrant recruitment has filled the unpopular job vacancies.

Unless we direct education to the needs of the nation it's only going to get worse, it's been happening for 20 yrs + and I just don't see a change likely

At my recent hair appointment chats with my hairdresser illustrated two different scenarios. That day she was overstretched, between the laborious task of putting my foils in, manning the reception and answering the phone. I asked "where's the relatively new trainee?". Handed her notice in the job was causing her anxiety, plus a refusal to work Saturdays. Had already taken a couple of "Mental Health Days" off. Saturdays, the busiest day in the hairdressers week. My hairdresser, the assistant manager, aged late 30s, said that was a problem with junior staff, plus having to do the more menial jobs, which she just gets on with, rounding up towels, sweeping and tidying the shop floor are tasks that younger staff baulk at.

On the other hand, she told me about her 18 year old son, a boy who knew exactly what he wanted to do since he left school when he entered further education to do bricklaying. Having got his part 1 and 2, they, the students were advised at very short notice that the 3rd part obtained previously through the college placing them with local builders for that final stage 3 and vital hands on experience is something that is no longer available. No doubt firms have been impacted on what the government has whacked on them. So her son is in a Catch 22 situation of trying to find a firm that will take him on whilst simultaneously being advised he doesn't have the required experience. All at a time when the country needs more houses to be built and increasingly men working in the trade are coming up to retirement....so as always, import cheaper foreign labour rather than train our own youngsters. How they are being let down Heard on Times Radio yesterday, we have the highest rate of unemployment in Europe bar Romania.

Galaxy

Every school I am.involved with has an identified careers teacher, programmes of work experience, etc, is this not the same elsewhere.

Colleges generally have transition co-ordinator/key workers and other identified members of staff who work on next steps

I think most of not all student facing staff are trained in spotting behaviour/patterns leading to NEET and there are specific programs being run in colleges to stop this happening short and long term

Highest rate of "youth" unemployment bar Romania.

I still haven’t read the whole thread as I’m on my phone

Resilience needs to be taught at home not in education. Education has a lot of support in place for emotional issues. Staff are ELSA trainined and all have SEND knowledge and training now.

I’m going to say something quite “out there” maybe support needs to come from a different budget. Maybe parents needed more support than they were given when raising their children in dysfunctional or complex environments. But maybe I’ll just go down a sure start/family centre closure rabbit hole as this generation of young people are the ones that would have benefitted

What’s interesting is when you look at the long term figures, and see that the number of people unemployed compared with the number of vacancies hasn’t varied much over the last 25 years. I think David49 is right in saying we can’t be matching people and jobs, although having said that, I also think that jobs like care are not suited to the majority of very young people, and perhaps there is stagnation in the job sector, where older people with more experience are not moving on into different jobs, leaving the more suitable jobs for new recruits. Some of that is about people eschewing job pressure and preferring to remain in a job which is less stressful.n

Care and support work should be better paid to attract those with life experience for sure

Casdon

What’s interesting is when you look at the long term figures, and see that the number of people unemployed compared with the number of vacancies hasn’t varied much over the last 25 years. I think David49 is right in saying we can’t be matching people and jobs, although having said that, I also think that jobs like care are not suited to the majority of very young people, and perhaps there is stagnation in the job sector, where older people with more experience are not moving on into different jobs, leaving the more suitable jobs for new recruits. Some of that is about people eschewing job pressure and preferring to remain in a job which is less stressful.n

The problem with care and nursing is that weekend and night work is needed that interferes with social live and so is not attractive to the young, many of us did unsocial this work why do we let the new generation get away with avoiding it.

The hairdresser story is typical, party on Friday night, cant work Saturday. In many cases party weekend useless on Monday that why employers take on migrants, they are willing to work the hours.

David49

I tend to agree, but having said that my DDiL is a pastry chef, she turned 28 yesterday and went into hospitality straight from school and learned “on the job”.

She now works in Canary Wharf, having an hour commute every session, will work double shifts some days, doesn’t get in til midnight if she’s on a late or double, and has two different days off each week. Her restaurant closes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and is open every single other day in the year.

It’s hard work, but she’s now earning more than her wife, my DD, who is a Primary School teacher and the same age.

Some youngsters have been brought up with a work ethic, some haven’t!

JaneJudge

Care and support work should be better paid to attract those with life experience for sure

I agree, but net result would result in much higher care fees, catch 22!

I do think personal qualities are a major factor in this difficult climate.
One of my grandsons, now 21, has messed up some good opportunities by misbehaviour, but has never been out of work for more than a couple of days. He always manages to find something to tide him over. At one point he worked as a carer, but on one occasion he arrived at the client’s home at about 8.30pm and found her dead. By the time his manager, ambulance and police had finished, it was gone midnight. He left that job but soon found another. He then progressed into a good office job using his IT skills. I admire him for his determination. There are jobs if you are determined and resilient.
Sorry, I know that is not the whole answer.

I notice TV interviewers almost never identify the graduate NEET's former university. One suspects these are not Russell group and more likely to be former technical colleges. And often they don't identify the graduate NEET's degree subject which may have some bearing on employability.

David49

Casdon

What’s interesting is when you look at the long term figures, and see that the number of people unemployed compared with the number of vacancies hasn’t varied much over the last 25 years. I think David49 is right in saying we can’t be matching people and jobs, although having said that, I also think that jobs like care are not suited to the majority of very young people, and perhaps there is stagnation in the job sector, where older people with more experience are not moving on into different jobs, leaving the more suitable jobs for new recruits. Some of that is about people eschewing job pressure and preferring to remain in a job which is less stressful.n

The problem with care and nursing is that weekend and night work is needed that interferes with social live and so is not attractive to the young, many of us did unsocial this work why do we let the new generation get away with avoiding it.

The hairdresser story is typical, party on Friday night, cant work Saturday. In many cases party weekend useless on Monday that why employers take on migrants, they are willing to work the hours.

I don’t think that is the whole story. Caring for vulnerable elderly and disabled people is physically hard, emotionally challenging, and if you work in the community, which is where most of the vacancies are, you need both the funds for a car and the ability to drive. Empathy and relatability is so important for these roles, and it’s a rare young person between sixteen and twenty at the minimum who is equipped to deal with the challenges. Nurses don’t qualify until they are 21 at the earliest.

I encouraged my DH to take on an apprentice to learn skills that need to be passed on to a younger generation. He and another man have a specialist engineering firm. Highly specialised. There are only two of them and they just cant spare the time to train someone. It would take them away from paying tasks. Along with potential loss of earnings neither of them can face the sheer hassle of the paperwork and red tape involved. I wonder how common a picture this is among small businesses?

Aveline

I encouraged my DH to take on an apprentice to learn skills that need to be passed on to a younger generation. He and another man have a specialist engineering firm. Highly specialised. There are only two of them and they just cant spare the time to train someone. It would take them away from paying tasks. Along with potential loss of earnings neither of them can face the sheer hassle of the paperwork and red tape involved. I wonder how common a picture this is among small businesses?

'Lost generation’: why can’t young people get jobs? What should be done?

Because migrant workers are doing the jobs that starters would have done years ago. The work many of us did when we left school.

I do relate to the engineering company featured above, many years ago there was a Youth Training Scheme where the government subsidized trainee wages, it was a nightmare of red tape and interference. There have been many similar schemes since that employers have largely ignored, they don't address the problem, many youth do not want to do that work. For many benefits and staying in bed until 11am is an easy option

Aveline

I encouraged my DH to take on an apprentice to learn skills that need to be passed on to a younger generation. He and another man have a specialist engineering firm. Highly specialised. There are only two of them and they just cant spare the time to train someone. It would take them away from paying tasks. Along with potential loss of earnings neither of them can face the sheer hassle of the paperwork and red tape involved. I wonder how common a picture this is among small businesses?

Very common.

Red tape needs minimising to the essential and the CV govt needs to rethink grants to small businesses. Everyone wins!

Aveline

I encouraged my DH to take on an apprentice to learn skills that need to be passed on to a younger generation. He and another man have a specialist engineering firm. Highly specialised. There are only two of them and they just cant spare the time to train someone. It would take them away from paying tasks. Along with potential loss of earnings neither of them can face the sheer hassle of the paperwork and red tape involved. I wonder how common a picture this is among small businesses?

Very common, I would imagine. Years ago, when the Conservatives were in power, I remember having a conversation with a neighbour. He was a carpenter and was always complaining about the long hours he worked and I asked him why he didn't take on an apprentice. He said the same as your DH ie he didn't have the time to train somebody.

I doubt it's a new phenomenon.

A lot of the smaller, one man bamd type jobs can't afford to pay the legal going rate for an apprentice.
My boy is working and attending college, and has passsed all of his modules at a reallly high rate, he can't find a legitimate apprenticeship, though.

Perhaps apprenticeships should be state subsidised or eligible for student loans? Or a combination of the two. This would, of course still mean a lot of the dreaded paperwork for the employer but it would radically cut out the cost of their wages.

For the 'don't have time to train them' argument I can't think of a solution; unless it would be state help in employing another qualified worker to free up some time for training?

On another point, earlier in this thread twaddle dismissed the idea of teaching 'cookery and woodwork' in school. I can see her point to a certain degree, but I think that learning some very basic skills would help to promote self reliance in at least some young people.

I think there is some benefit to employers who take on aprentices.
Not a paid benefit type thing, but something that benefits the employer.

I dontknow what though: its all very complicated, as far as i can tell. Again, as protection for employer and apprentice, i presume

Cookery and woodwork are not to be sniffed at in my opinion. Where’s the problem in teaching young people how to cook simple meals from scratch rather than relying on caffs (Roy’s Rolls etc) and it could also spark an interest in becoming a chef. Woodworking or similar trade type skills might allow a young person who is not academic to get an interest in jobs where those skills could be useful. Outdoor related jobs spring to mind. Or develop an interest in carpentry.
Any skills are useful, better than none at all.