SRAG Members were taken through an exclusive preview of the Youth Employment UK 2024 survey.
Over 5,000 young people aged 11-30 completed the annual Youth Voice Census in 2024. The census is a deep dive into how young people in the UK feel about their lives, education and work experiences.
Founder of Youth Employment UK, Laura-Jane Rawlings, MBE, DL, said “Young people are feeling less positive about their future this year, with only 10% believing they can access quality work where they live. On top of this, they are being forced to compromise on safety, quality, cost or location to access education, training and employment opportunities. The sense of unfairness is being felt by all young people, whoever and wherever they are. Young people tell us that they don’t want to feel like this and actually would love nothing more than to have access to good opportunities; they just do not believe those opportunities exist for them.”
Lauren Mistry, who presented the findings to the SRAG on 19.9.24, said,
"There isn’t a person, group or organisation that can’t learn something from reading the Youth Voice Census report. It is a snapshot of where young people are right now, a reminder of the past we still have to fix and our look to the future too.
Whilst members of the SRAG might be further ahead in adopting good practice, the context and connection the Census can bring to early careers engagement activities is really powerful.
We can all see how work and communities are changing, the message is clear that both landscape and life are challenging. Being able to share the impact these changes are having on the confidence, connections and motivations of young people brings a depth of understanding to what is happening in communities across the country.
What’s special about the SRAG is that through all of the difficult messages the enthusiasm to drive better engagements and support more people into work remains."
What does the latest data on youth unemployment say?
597,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed in May to July 2024, an increase of 51,000 from the previous year. Despite that, Youth unemployment is still reportedly at a historically low level. Back in May-July 2022, Youth unemployment fell to 406,000, which was the lowest recorded level since records began in 1992. However, since then it has been gradually increasing. The unemployment rate (the proportion of the economically active population who are unemployed) for 16- to 24-year-olds was 14.2%. This is up from 13.0% from the year before.
Source: SN05871.pdf (parliament.uk)
According to the Youth Employment 2024 survey, the workplace is the best environment for young people.
- 83% think that their working environment is supportive.
- 70% of respondents are happy in their current job role.
- 70% of respondents would describe their employer as youth friendly.
Only 10% of respondents not in employment felt confident they would be able to find good work in their own area.
For those in education, the story is less positive.
- Only 36% of young people in secondary school think they understand the skills employers are looking for.
- A third of young people feel like their school supports them.
Young people in education feel less confident across all employability skills.
Access to experience and inspiration - key drivers of social mobility
- Access to sports clubs is down 6 ppts.
- Access to learning a musical instrument is down 7 ppts.
- Access to enrichment and extracurricular activities is down 9 ppts.
Anxiety continues to impact young people; it is one of the biggest barriers young people face.
- 43% of young people think anxiety will be one of their biggest barriers to finding work now or in the future.
- 44% of young people currently in work thought anxiety was a barrier when they were looking for work.
- 3 in 5 young people indicated feeling anxious in their daily life.
Confidence continues to decline for those in education.
- Only 36% of young people in secondary school think they understand the skills employers are looking for.
One third of young people feel like their school supports them.
Young people in education feel less confident across all employability skills.
Access to activities that drive social mobility are squeezed.
- Access to sports clubs is down 6 ppts.
- Access to learning a musical instrument is down 7 ppts.
- Access to enrichment and extracurricular activities is down 9 ppts.
The highlights of Lauren Mistry’s presentation are available in the SRAG Member portal, soon to be accompanied by a video to share with colleagues.
