Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Early careersLatest NewsEconomics, government & businessLabour marketRecruitment & retention

NEETs on the increase as young jobseekers’ challenges continue

by John Eccleston 24 Aug 2011
by John Eccleston 24 Aug 2011

The proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEETs) has risen to 18.4%, according to figures released today by the Department for Education (DfE).

The figure, for the second quarter of 2011, is an increase from last year’s second quarter figure of 16.3%, and is the highest second-quarter figure since 2006, when comparable data was first collected.

The increase is further proof of the challenges facing younger workers and jobseekers as they seek to gain a foothold in the labour market, and has led some commentators to suggest that there is no quick solution in sight.

Jim Hillage, director of research at the Institute for Employment Studies, said: “The labour market is a very tough place to be for young people at the moment. Young adults who can’t find an apprenticeship or a college place are finding it particularly hard to compete for jobs against older, more experienced, jobseekers not just from this country but also from the rest of Europe. Unfortunately, it seems likely that the situation will get worse before it gets better, as the economic recovery falters and job growth stalls.”

The DfE figures come a day after the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) released its latest Labour Market Outlook figures, which found that recruitment demand for school leavers has fallen since last year, while employer demand for migrant workers has reached a record high.

According to the CIPD’s findings, more employers said that they plan to hire EU migrant workers (34%) than up-skill existing workers (23%) or recruit more graduates (18%). Almost one employer in 10 (8%) say that they would relocate jobs abroad.

Meanwhile, only 12% of employers plan to hire 16-year-old school leavers in the three months to September 2011, down from 14%. Similarly, the number of employers planning to recruit school leavers aged 17-18 and older fell to a quarter (25%) from almost one-third (31%) in the same period.

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the CIPD, said: “Youth unemployment looks set to rise further amid employer concerns about the employability of young people. The migration cap is stemming the flow of skilled non-EU migrant workers on the one hand, but increasing the supply of EU workers with the other, which highlights the relative ineffectiveness of the cap in bringing net migration levels down.

“Employers seem eager to take full advantage of this, to make use of their positive attitude and their skills. The perception among many of our members is that too many young people in the UK do not have these qualities, which may explain why fewer young people are being hired. At a time when many school leavers will be looking for work and the number of job opportunities is falling, youth unemployment could increase more sharply in the coming months. The Government therefore needs to redouble efforts to ensure the education and skills system is fit for purpose to ensure young people can find a foothold in an increasingly competitive jobs market.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

XpertHR has information available on how employers can help to reduce unemployment and social exclusion.

And for further information on young workers, see XpertHR’s reference manual.

John Eccleston

previous post
‘Borat’ nickname for Polish employee was race discrimination
next post
HR moves: CEGA Group Services, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Wragge & Co

You may also like

Unions ponder strike action after public sector pay...

23 May 2025

Six ways to kickstart conversations about team stress...

23 May 2025

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

UK universities fret over fall in international students

22 May 2025

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

The Law Society: Navigating the new world of...

22 May 2025

Deloitte scales back salary rises and promotions

22 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+