Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsMental healthLabour marketDisability

Rising worklessness among young men needs ‘urgent attention’

by Ashleigh Webber 13 Jun 2022
by Ashleigh Webber 13 Jun 2022 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Youth worklessness has fallen dramatically since the mid-nineties, but rising inactivity among young men needs urgent attention, according to a think-tank.

The Resolution Foundation’s Not Working report finds that the number of people aged 18-24 who were out of work fell from 1.1 million to 800,000 between 1995 and 2021, but this was mainly driven by falls in the number of young women without employment. Women accounted for 280,000 of this decline, while overall worklessness fell by just 20,000 among young men.

The report suggests that the increase in economic inactivity among young men is mainly due to long-term sickness or disability, which accounts for three-quarters of the rise.

Between 2006 and 2021, inactivity among young men because of long-term illness or disability more than doubled to 91,000. Women saw a smaller rise of 28,000.

Louise Murphy, an economist at the Resolution Foundation, said it was “troubling” that there has been an increase in inactivity among young men, which raises the risk of prolonged unemployment.

Opportunities for young people

Would a general training levy solve the UK skills crisis?

Future Skills Unit ‘will help learners make better choices’

Kickstart is ‘chaotic’ and failing employers and young people, find MPs

“Rising inactivity among young men has been driven by an increase in people suffering from long-term ill-health or a disability, with mental health problems in particular increasing the chance of young people becoming workless, and remaining workless for longer,” she said.

“Unless we address these challenges now, there is a risk that the welcome progress made in recent decades could soon go into reverse, with widespread youth worklessness becoming a major problem in Britain once again.”

Mental health problems are a significant reason for economic inactivity and youth unemployment. Between 1995 and 2018/19 there was a seven percentage point increase in the proportion of young men with a common mental health disorder (from 17% to 24%), compared with a five percentage point increase among women (29% to 34%).

Martina Kane, policy and engagement manager at the Health Foundation, which sponsored the report, said: “A failure to address the growing rate of poor mental health could leave an enduring legacy as young people with mental health problems are more likely to become workless and remain workless for longer. This is likely to be fueling a vicious cycle as we know that good quality work supports people’s health and wellbeing, including their mental health.

“Good quality work is a key building block of good health. Leaving young people to struggle without support for either their mental health or their employment prospects risks not only their immediate health, but also their future health. We hope that these findings will provide a wakeup call for policy makers to take targeted action.”

The fall in youth unemployment among women was primarily due to a reduction in young parenthood and an increase in the number of women who choose to combine parenting with work. There was an 80% drop in the number of 18-24-year-old women who were out of work due to family care between 2006 and 2021.

Although there was a reduction in worklessness among young people from all ethnic backgrounds, the most pronounced decline was seen among Bangladeshi (13%) and Pakistani (10%) and black (9%) groups, betwen 2003-2005 and 2017-2019. However, young people from these groups were still more likely to be unemployed than people from white and Indian groups.

The report makes several recommendations for policy makers to reduce youth unemployment and support those out of work:

  • focus benefits strategies on young people who have historically been hard to reach, to allow the government to support those who are inactive due to ill health
  • more investment in support for young people who are workless, beyond the Kickstart scheme
  • learn from previous successes of integrating employment support with psychological support, such as Employment Advisers in IAPT and Individual Placement and Support services within community mental health teams
  • improve job quality by offering the right to request more hours and receive compensation for shifts cancelled with little notice, for example.

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor at OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Shapps suggests repeal of agency worker ban during strikes
next post
Trust seeks better language and employability support for garment workers

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Staff shortages affecting business growth at three in...

29 Jun 2022

Green jobs: are there shoots of growth on...

29 Jun 2022

Graduate salaries rise sharply as search for talent...

27 Jun 2022

White-hot recruitment market? William Tincup talks to Oven-Ready...

24 Jun 2022

Gatwick Airport cuts flights as staff shortages bite

17 Jun 2022

Job advertisements reach a new high amid labour...

17 Jun 2022

Part-time work is lifestyle choice suggests analysis

16 Jun 2022

Construction blighted by skills shortage as sector steps...

16 Jun 2022

Cost of living: real wages fall 2.2% in...

14 Jun 2022

Hiring rate slows as businesses struggle to source...

10 Jun 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...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 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today