The crisis facing young workers

Young people are facing big challenges at work – and the government now has a chance to act. The new report by the TUC highlights the most recent figures, which show almost a million young people aged 16 - 24 out of education, employment and training (NEET). 

A harsh landscape for young workers

These numbers are deeply concerning but hardly surprising given the dire employment conditions facing so many young people when they leave full-time education, the impact of austerity and years of underinvestment in education, apprenticeships and youth services.  

Low pay, precarious contracts and few opportunities

Far too many young people enter work on low pay, employed on precarious contracts with a lack of real opportunities for progression or training and experience harassment, bullying and discrimination. Sectors where insecure conditions are the norm make up an ever-larger segment of employment for young people, while there are fewer highly skilled, secure, unionised jobs available.  

For example, young workers make up half of the hospitality sector, a sector known for its low pay, precarity and low union density. Only 4.4% of trade union members overall are workers aged 16-24. Alongside this, apprenticeships have declined substantially, with starts among under-19s having fallen by more than a quarter in just five years. 

A generation of alienated workers

The growth of precarious and transient forms of employment, much of which has occurred as a result of ongoing outsourcing, the vacuum left by the fragmentation of British industry and a subsequent race to the bottom on pay and conditions, has helped to create a generation of workers who are alienated at work and disillusioned in their communities. 

Disabled young people hit hardest

It is important to recognise how disabled young people are particularly affected, with nearly half of those out of employment, education, and training being disabled, compared with just over a fifth in 2011. This reflects the worsening mental health crisis, as well as failures by employers to make workplaces accessible and implement reasonable adjustments for young workers. 

Government action

The government has already taken welcome steps to tackle some of the issues facing young workers, including the new Youth Guarantee for young people aged 18 - 21, and the introduction of the Growth and Skills Levy. However, in order to meaningfully tackle these issues, the government must go further to deliver a jobs guarantee scheme for young people in close collaboration with trade unions, alongside more ambitious policies to boost investment and employment in industry and infrastructure.  

The way forward

The recommendations in this report are crucial, and trade unions should press the government to ensure they are delivered, alongside continuing to strengthen strategies to recruit and organise young workers. Without decisive action, the crisis in youth labour market participation will only continue and worsen, and there is a risk that an entire generation of workers will be left behind.