Category: Research

Young, vulnerable, and increasing- why we need to start worrying more about youth unemployment

The Youth Futures Foundation and Impetus have worked in partnership on a new analysis of the population of young people who are neither earning nor learning – looking at both the current drivers of, and future trends associated with, being in this group. It lays out why we urgently need to improve our offer to those young people who are at most risk of being, or have already been, locked out of education, employment and training. This need has become even more urgent given the COVID-19 pandemic and its expected impact on young people and the wider economy.

Click HERE to read the full article from The Youth Futures Foundation and Impetus, April 2020.

Young People in Lockdown

The Prince’s Trust and YouGov have released the Young People in Lockdown report, with research conducted during lockdown revealing 46% of 16-25 years olds say that finding a job now feels “impossible”, and more than a quarter feel their future career prospects have already been damaged by the coronavirus pandemic. To compliment the annual Prince’s Trust Youth Index, tracking the views and outlooks of young people across the last decade, YouGov and The Trust have gathered the views of 16 to 25 year olds living through lockdown to form a picture of how this crisis is impacting the younger generation.
Key findings: With nearly half of young people worrying it will be harder than ever to find a job, and 43% reporting that their anxiety levels have increased due to the pandemic, it is a vital time to support young people. Those who are not in education, employment or training are also already impacted more than their peers – with 65% of NEET young people not feeling in control of their lives, compared to 47% of their non-NEET peers.

Click HERE to read the full article from The Prince’s Trust and YouGov, May 2020.

Young workers in the coronavirus crisis: Findings from the Resolution Foundation’s coronavirus survey

A report published by the Resolution Foundation suggests that the coronavirus crisis is expected to hit workers hard, with evidence from previous crises indicating that the young are likely to be affected to a greater degree than most. The report presents new findings on how different age groups – and in particular the young – have been affected.

 

Click HERE to read the full article from Resolution Foundation, May 2020.

Coronavirus: Young people ‘most likely to lose work’ in lockdown

Young people are most likely to have lost work or seen their income drop because of COVID-19, a report suggests. More than one in three 18 to 24-year-olds is earning less than before the outbreak, research by the Resolution Foundation claims. It said younger workers risk their pay being affected for years, while older staff may end up involuntarily retired.

Around a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds have been furloughed – meaning they do not work but their firms keep them on their books and the government covers 80% of their wages. A further 9% have lost their jobs altogether – the highest figure out of all age groups.

Industries that traditionally employ younger staff such as pubs, restaurants and leisure centres have remained shut throughout the UK’s eight-week lockdown, as have many shops.

Click HERE to read the full article from The BBC News, May 2020.

Class of 2020 -Education leavers in the current crisis

This report focuses on the prospects facing young people leaving full-time education today, highlighting the size and length of employment and pay scarring that they could experience.

The Resolution Foundation estimates that, even three years after having left full-time education, the employment rate of today’s graduates could be 13 per cent lower than without the crisis. Employment rates for mid-and low-skilled workers could fall even further: 27 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.

Click HERE to read the full article from the Resolution Foundation, May 2020.

COVID-19: The impact of the crisis on student recruitment and development

This report (registration required) warns that the number of entry-level jobs available to students and school-leavers seeking employment this year will be reduced by around 23 percent. The report warns that internships and placements will slump by 40 percent and even students and school-leavers with job offers could see their opportunities curtailed.

Click HERE to read the full article from The Institute of Student Employers, May 2020.

Only a minimum income can ensure support for everyone

This report examines those who are at greatest risk of missing out on the government’s financial support packages. The analysis found that 1.6 million people were at very high risk of both losing work and missing out on the government’s schemes. Young people (16 – 24 years old) were the most likely (2.3 times as likely as other age groups (130% higher risk) to be in this high risk group.

Click HERE to read the full article from The New Economics Foundation, May 2020

Assessing the early impact of school and college closures on students in England

This report explores the experiences of young people following the closure of schools in England on 20th March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It forms part of a wider programme of rapid response research into the impact of school closure on young people, parents, teachers and outreach professionals, conducted by the Centre for Social Mobility at the University of Exeter and the Centre for Education and Youth.

Key Findings:

  • Access to tech is proving to be a barrier to some students’ learning. Most of the students we surveyed have access to at least a mobile phone and a laptop in their household, but some students flagged that they had to share these devices with other household members
  • A fifth of the students we surveyed, and 30% of disadvantaged students, do not have access to a quiet study space in their homes
  • Most students reported no change to their family dynamic as a result of school closure. However, where students did report a change this tended to be negative
  • On average, students’ self-reported wellbeing was significantly below normal levels in the population as a whole, taken outside the period of school closure
  • Students are overwhelmingly concerned with their grades, with many telling us they now feel less control over their own destinies
  • Most students were happy with the support they were receiving from their school or college. When we asked students how support could be improved, the most common request was for more or better communication

Click HERE to read the full article from The Centre for Education and Youth and The University of Exeter, June 2020.

Young People In Lockdown: A report by The Prince’s Trust and YouGov

According to this report, the coronavirus emergency has left young people all over the UK, including many who have only just started their working lives, without access to the jobs, training and education which will set them up for the future. Findings from this report show young people across the country are concerned about their future job prospects and are experiencing heightened levels of anxiety.

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted young people aged 16-25:

  • 46% say that finding a job now feels “impossible”.
  • 43% per cent of young people say their anxiety levels have increased due to the pandemic.
  • In this more recent study conducted during the coronavirus lockdown period, the percentage of NEETs claiming to feel down or depressed “always” or “often” has increased to 58%.

Click HERE to read the full article from The Prince’s Trust and YouGov.  June 2020.

Securing a place for young people in the nation’s economic recovery  

This paper presents the final recommendations from the Youth Employment Group, for measures to support young people through the COVID-19 crisis, improve their employment prospects and prevent mass youth unemployment.  The Group was established by Impetus, Youth Futures Foundation, Youth Employment UK, the Institute for Employment Studies and The Prince’s Trust in March 2020, and now has a membership of over 150 leaders and experts across the youth employment sector.

The recommendations in this paper were produced by six working groups that convened between March and August, exploring how to minimise job-losses; provide employment support during lockdown; ensure effective employment support after lockdown; encourage a healthy youth labour market; support viable and quality self-employment for young people; and ensure effective and accurate use of data.

The paper recommends that the government commit to set clear objectives to ensure that no young person spends more than six months unemployed without having access to a meaningful education or employment offer; and that the number of young people not in education, employment or training returns to pre-pandemic levels by October next year. It then makes nineteen recommendations around the effective design and delivery of employment, skills, careers, entrepreneurship and welfare support for young people both during and after the crisis.

The YEG recommends that clear objectives are set to monitor progress in supporting young people during the economic crisis and beyond. Further recommendations fall within the following themes:

  • Create more opportunities for young people
  • Help employers to help young people
  • Provide young people with the right information and advice
  • Support self-employment for young people
  • Build and utilise the evidence on ‘what works’ for supporting young people

Click HERE to read the full article by the Youth Employment Group, September 2020.