Research
Jobs Outlook - March 2025
JobsOutlook March 2025
Policy
Tackling youth unemployment
Unemployment support
The latest ONS data trends suggest that young people are experiencing increasing barriers to not only get their first job, but actually engage in the job search process.
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on already disadvantaged young people just as they enter the workforce. As employers, we can play an important role in helping young people overcome barriers to employment. We're teaming up with Movement to Work to help employers create opportunities for young people to get ahead in their careers by giving them experience in work. Find out how you can be one of those employers below.
What's happening to young people in the UK: Understanding the data
There were an estimated 771,000 young people (aged 16 to 24 years) in the UK who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January to March 2020. That's more than 11% of the total youth population- almost triple the current national unemployment rate of 4.5%.
Covid-19 has only made things more difficult for young people trying to get on the career ladder.
The Office for National Statistics divides NEET young people into two categories: economically active, who have looked for work in the last 4 weeks through the Job Centre, and economically inactive, who haven’t:
- In April to June 2020, there were an estimated 467,000 economically inactive NEET young people
- This is an increase of 4,000 from April to June 2019 and up by 16,000 from January to March 2020
With over half a million young people out of work at the start of this year, the ongoing pandemic has amplified the mounting youth unemployment crisis in the UK. Disadvantaged young people are set to be the worst affected, yet we believe they could also be the smartest solution to rebuilding our workforces and boosting our economy.
Movement to Work
A gateway for employers to provide work experience and jobs for young people
The REC is proud to partner with Movement to Work (MtW) to break the cycle of ‘no experience, no job’ for so many young people. Through this partnership, we're encouraging our network to see the value of welcoming diverse and underserved talent into their workplaces. As employers, we can play a key role in helping disadvantaged young people get into work. Not only is this important for young people themselves, but for society overall.
How employers can get involved
The impact
Through their extensive network of training providers and youth outreach organisations, Movement to Work (MtW) links unemployed young people with employers.
To date, MtW has helped employers deliver over 98,000 workplace opportunities across the UK, with 56% of programme participants progressing into jobs and apprenticeships, or returning to education.
By equipping organisations with the tools to successfully deliver a vocational employment or work experience programme, we want to ensure that the next generation of talent is being provided with the skills to succeed, positively impacting business performance and driving social good.
Join the movement
Whether you are looking to set up your first work experience scheme, or ready to amplify your existing model, MtW offers free tools and resources to help you design and implement work experience and vocational solutions for your organisation.
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