Category: Youth unemployment and youth jobs

Labour, Young People and the Job Seekers Allowance.

Labour proposes to make unemployed young people between 18-21,  without a level 3 (equivalent to A-level)  qualification ineligible for Job Seekers Allowance (70% of current youth claimants are in this category).  Identified as a further rolling back of the welfare state by most critics –it’s been unveiled alongside plans to make eligibility for full JSA … Continue reading Labour, Young People and the Job Seekers Allowance. →

Young People in the Labour Market

Unemployment has officially fallen to its lowest level for 5 years, with economic output (though not output per person) about to reach its pre-recession level and  growth rates predicted to return to around 3%  for the next 2 or 3 years.  The Coalition, fearing a hammering in this week’s local and European elections are anxious … Continue reading Young People in the Labour Market →

Up to 27 applicants for every apprenticeship vacancy

As The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10617382/Up-to-27-school-leavers-competing-for-each-apprenticeship.html) has reported;   recent National Apprenticeship Service figures show a huge shortage in the number of apprenticeships –with 12 applicants for each vacancy but over twice that in some sectors. Having largely disappeared by the end of the 1980s, apprenticeships have been reinvented in response to high levels of youth unemployment and … Continue reading Up to 27 applicants for every apprenticeship vacancy →

Guardian correspondence

Graduating with loads of debt and no job: is this really a 'lost  generation'?                                                                                                                          http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/27/graduating-debt-no-job-lost-generation Patrick Ainley responds   www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/02/lost-generation-higher-education    Both left and right have failed the jobless young http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/03/right-left-failing-young-people-jobs?commentpage=6 Martin Allen responds http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/08/structural-changes-youth-unemployment Rather than being the caused   by the limitations of education system, whatever they may be , or the absence of role models; … Continue reading Guardian correspondence →

In 2014: one in ten young people ‘have nothing to live for’

2014 can  be a year for putting young people back near the top of the political agenda – and as a matter of urgency.  This week’s report on research commissioned by the Princes Trust  showed 40% of young people who were  long term unemployed  experienced symptoms of mental illness including suicidal thoughts.  But it also … Continue reading In 2014: one in ten young people ‘have nothing to live for’ →

Youth unemployment falls slightly –but almost 1 in 5 still NEET.

This month’s unemployment figures show a slight fall in youth joblessness. There are 941 000 young people looking for work (32% of these are in FT education) with the rate of unemployment falling by 0.5% to 20.5%. For those young people not in FT education the figure is 18.5%, a fall of 0.8% on the … Continue reading Youth unemployment falls slightly –but almost 1 in 5 still NEET. →

The grads and the rest.

Martin Allen and Patrick Ainley Last week the Office for National Statistics published extensive data about graduates in the labour market (www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/graduates-in-the-labour-market/2013/index.html). It showed that the number of recent graduates working in ‘non-graduate’ jobs had risen from 37% in 2001 to 47%. Of course, there’s been a huge increase in graduate numbers with the percentage … Continue reading The grads and the rest. →

Labour market notes

Government representatives have made much of the fact that the monthly ONS figures show 30 million Britons are now in some form of employment. Though this is an all-time high, it’s still lower in percentage terms than before the downturn –as a result of a rising population. Nevertheless,  unemployment fell by 48,000 to 2.47 million, … Continue reading Labour market notes →

Labour and youth unemployment

Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary was quick to respond  to recent Youth Contract statistics which show just 4,690 wage incentive payments have been made since the scheme began. (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2373637/Nick-Cleggs-plan-jobs-160-000-young-people-far-helped-just-4-600.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490)  (www.politicshome.com/uk/article/82422/labour_youth_contract_has_utterly_failed_byrne.html) Survey’s also continue to indicate that many employers don’t know much about it , or are not interested in taking on young … Continue reading Labour and youth unemployment →