Record number of young people fear long-term unemployment

Report says confidence among 16- to 21-year-olds has fallen sharply as they doubt hard work will be rewarded

Young people in England are increasingly “losing faith in their futures” according to a report, as record numbers fear long-term unemployment.

Analysing survey data, including from the Office for National Statistics, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said 16- to 21-year-olds were less confident about being successful than a decade ago.

Younger people are also less convinced than their older counterparts that hard work will be rewarded, the IPPR said.

Just one in four 16- to 29-year-olds agreed with the statement that “everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them”. That compared with 35% of 50- to 69-year-olds, and more than 40% of over-70s.

Policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the challenges facing young people, with the number of people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) recently exceeding 1 million for the first time in a decade.

The former Labour minister Alan Milburn is reviewing the question of how to reverse this rise in a review for the government, with his findings due later this year.

In a recent interim report, he warned that Britain was at risk of a “lost generation” and on track for a 25% rise in Neets, to 1.25 million, by 2030 if action was not taken – hinting that benefits changes may have to be part of the solution.