How the youth today struggle to get employed in the current job market

In my experience as an A-Level student transitioning to the tumultuous period that is Year 13, what has been playing on mind is the trajectory of my career in the next few years. School presents us with a selection of options: on the one hand, I could choose to continue my academic journey, purely studying a degree that I have cultivated interest in; or I could pursue an apprenticeship, which has its own pros and cons.

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) conducted by the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 12.8% of all people aged 16-24 years in the UK were not in education, employment or training in October to December 2025, meaning about nearly a million NEETs by the end of 2025.*

What is important is providing enough information and activities to help the youth both understand and enjoy learning about careers to choose which one is best for them. The struggle of the youth to get employment occurs due to various reasons, some include:

1. The unrealistic expectations of employers

It is no exaggeration to state that post-grad job descriptions are becoming quite unrealistic. Picture this, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Computer Science seeks a job, the first vacancy they come across has ‘Entry- Level’ in its title but requires a minimum of three years' worth of work experience; leading them to feel confused, disheartened even. Now imagine this represents most young adults today, feeling that they have no hope as businesses demand a wealth of experience for a supposedly entry-level role. This reduces incentives to work, decreases motivation and hopelessness amongst the youth. Employers must remain accurate and empathetic towards students, understanding that most do not have lots of work experience and even if they do, it might not be fully relevant to the role. I believe that companies- that have the resources- could offer outreach programmes including insight days/ schemes, work experience, or training for the entry-level role. This allows for jobs to be more accessible for young people.

2. Inadequate information about various industries

Industries like manufacturing, for example, have a bad reputation amongst students. This is due to stereotypes of manufacturing being ‘dirty’ or ‘low- paid’, when in reality, it is far from that. Companies such as JLR and Rolls- Royce operate high-tech systems, utilising advance materials. If students were given enough information through school assemblies or organised visits to these places, they would have a greater understanding of these industries. In addition, it leads them to widen their career prospects and work towards highly skilled jobs.

3. Socioeconomic inequalities 

Students from lower-income backgrounds may struggle to access networking opportunities and adequate school supplies, which may lead to lower educational and by extension, career achievement. Additionally, there are not enough programmes that assist students from underprivileged or underrepresented backgrounds with social mobility, which contributes to the inequalities even when those students are highly talented. To solve this, schools could attempt to decrease barriers to educational achievement through social mobility initiatives such as university partnerships and work experience opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds.

As much as there is a narrative pushed around that young people are ‘just lazy’, to me, this is fundamentally untrue. I believe that if students were provided with the opportunity to speak about their career goals, schools can provide the most precise assistance that their students need in terms of educational achievement, industry experience and career information. Employers as well could initiatively reach out to various schools, offering their students with longer placements (e.g. months instead of weeks) which provide an in-depth understanding of day-to- day life within different job roles.

• Reference: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) - Office for National Statistics