Even though the Coalition has claimed that over 500 000 new private sector jobs have been created since it came to office, a large number, a majority in fact,  have been part-time. The monthly labour market figures from ONS regularly confirm the significance of part-time working in the UK economy. Figures for Dec 2011 -Feb … Continue reading Part-time Britain →

Latest  ONS  figures for the period Sept to Nov 2011 show:  1.04 million - 22.3% of ‘economically active’ 16-24 year olds are unemployed - up by 53 000.   829 000 -   20.8% of ‘economically active'  18-24 year olds are unemployed - up by 44.000. 729 000 unemployed 16-24 year olds ‘not in full-time education’ - … Continue reading Latest unemployment figures speak for themselves →

The Department for Education has now published it figures for the number of NEETs. (Young people Not in Employment, Education or Training) and a more accurate measurement of youth unemployment.  According to the DfE, there are 1.16 million 16-24 NEETs – almost 1 in 5 of all young people.  The figures also show over 21% … Continue reading Too many NEETs. The Coalition feels the pressure →

Martin Allen The current level of youth unemployment  is not only a national disgrace, but also potentially disabling for other areas of society;  particularly the education system where young people are taught to play by the rules and work hard to ensure a prosperous future -only to find that their qualifications buy them less and … Continue reading Guardian letter 17/10/11 Youth unemployment →

The 80 000 increase in unemployment for the period April to June  (taking the total to 2.51 million and 7.9%)   intensifies the pressure on a bedraggled  Coalition  government . Much of this increase is the result  of  rises in youth unemployment - 20.8% of 16 to 24 year olds (973,000) are officially out of work. … Continue reading As youth unemployment rises towards 1 million: new challenges for educators →

Martin Allen and Patrick Ainley (https://radicaled.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/a-youthful-precariat/) Last month’s riots have intensified debate about the position of young people in society and the growth of a new urban underclass. For some, particularly Precariat author Guy Standing, the looting of shops and the confrontations with the police are another example of the actions of this new and dangerous … Continue reading A youthful precariat? (part-two) →

Martin Allen The latest ONS unemployment statistics show a further fall in youth unemployment – 917 000  16-24 year olds are out of work, down 42 000 on the previous quarter.  Conduct a more thorough analysis however and you’ll quickly discover a different picture          To begin with, as ONS itself recognises, there are problems with … Continue reading The rise and rise of workless youth. ‘Unemployment’ might be falling but not youth joblessness →

Martin Allen and Patrick Ainley Guy Standing’s challenging new book The Precariat seeks to explain the implications of globalisation for occupational class structures. Rather than remaining within the ranks of Marx’s proletariat; increasingly large numbers of people have now been pushed into a new and insecure ‘precariat’ - lacking adequate incomes and ‘security’ in the … Continue reading A Youthful Precariat ? →

Though the most recent ONS  figures (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsuk0511.pdf) show a slight fall in levels of unemployment, 20% of 16-24 year olds are still recorded as being out of work. If the count is restricted to those ‘not in full-time education or training’ – a more accurate measurement, 18.3% of 16-24 year olds and 17.3% of those … Continue reading Youth unemployment falling? →