It’s that headline figure that a new government white paper, “Get Britain Working”, seeks to address. There are a raft of positive proposals in it – but as some of the headlines suggest, there’s still an empathy gap between young people’s experiences of unemployment and the majority of reporting.
While much has been made of the mental health crisis precipitating the record numbers, the young people we speak to and work with often have little control over why they’re out of education and employment. Most of them want to work – but can’t even find jobs in their local area or access training and apprenticeships that could set them on their way.
This is particularly true for young people with experiences of homelessness.
Centrepoint research recently revealed mental health was a significant barrier to these young people entering and staying in the workforce. Two thirds of those we spoke to reported struggles with their mental health, and many did not feel like this was understood or taken seriously by employers.
There’s also a deepening skills gap among this vulnerable group of young people who often miss out on crucial education milestones and skills development opportunities if they’ve experienced homelessness. Most young people are ready to escape homelessness, hold down a tenancy, start working and gain the confidence and experience to achieve their employment goals – but close to two in five felt that they did not have what they needed to thrive.
It’s not all about mental health or skills though – even as so much of the discourse focuses on fixing this side of the problem. In some cases, the system itself is setting homeless young people up to fail.
The taper rate of housing benefit, used to pay for the expensive rent in supported housing, means that their financial support is often cut at a faster rate than their pay can rise, leaving many worse off or deciding whether it’s worth working. The government must make good on its promise to review the current benefits system and then go one step further by bringing down the taper rate so that every young person in supported accommodation who can and wants to work is actually better off.
We also need to break down the many barriers to employment that this vulnerable group face. Government-led initiatives like the Youth Guarantee are great in theory, but ministers need to roll up their sleeves if we’re going to “get Britain working”.
Neither young people nor Whitehall can deliver the change we need alone. Employers are just as important in ensuring young people can access the work and opportunities they deserve. Developing a greater understanding of the experiences homeless young people have gone through, and what they can do to make opportunities more accessible for them is crucial.
Collaboration with expert organisations, advocates and young people themselves is key, as well as the provision of inclusive, flexible, and accessible opportunities.
Youth unemployment has a huge impact on the economy, so why wouldn’t we do everything we can to ensure that young people – particularly those who have experienced homelessness – have the best possible chances to access and sustain meaningful employment?
Removing these barriers will not only broaden young people’s life chances but also boost the country’s productivity and the public purse. Time will tell in how successful Get Britain Working will be – for now though, we need to keep the next generation of workers at the heart of every decision and action.
