Business leaders have warned that a lack of workplace skills, experience and resilience among young people could worsen Britain’s growing youth unemployment problem, with almost one million people aged 16 to 24 now classified as not in education, employment or training.
Government figures show that 981,000 young people were classed as Neet in the three months to June, an increase of 30,000 compared with a year earlier. Young men accounted for 25,000 of the increase, with males making up 54% of the total.
The figures have emerged as former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn prepares a government review into the country’s Neet problem, due to be published in October.
As part of the review, the Department for Work and Pensions surveyed 500 businesses about the difficulties they face when hiring young workers. The most frequently cited problem was a lack of soft skills and work readiness, identified by 41% of employers.
Work experience was the second biggest concern, cited by 40% of businesses. Resilience was highlighted by 32%, while 31% said applicants lacked the technical skills required for available jobs.
Separate research by the Federation of Small Businesses found that 37% of employers had struggled to recruit during the past year because applicants lacked relevant soft skills.
FSB national chair Tina McKenzie said schools should provide greater opportunities for work experience while helping students develop skills needed in employment. She also called for stronger financial and enterprise education to help young people understand working life and build confidence.
Education professionals have raised similar concerns. A survey of more than 1,000 teachers and other education workers conducted for Milburn’s review found that 66% believed young people’s readiness for work had declined over the previous five years. Sixty per cent also reported a decline in soft skills.
Nearly three quarters said schools placed too much emphasis on exam results and supported expanding the curriculum to include more employment-related skills while maintaining academic standards.
The review is expected to call for action from employers as well as schools. Some companies have already introduced schemes aimed at helping young people gain workplace experience, including McDonald’s, which has launched 2,500 paid placements for young people facing barriers to employment.
Research from the DWP found that only 47% of people aged 18 to 24 felt ready for work when they left education. Among Neets, the figure fell to just 36%. Fewer than half said their school or college had adequately helped them develop skills for their future careers.
Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said young people needed support both before entering work and during the transition into employment.
He also warned that complicated recruitment processes, repeated applications without feedback and demands for previous experience can make it harder for young people to secure their first job.
With entry-level vacancies already limited, experts fear these barriers could deepen the UK’s youth unemployment problem and leave more young people struggling to gain the experience needed to begin their working lives.
