Mental health problems prevent NEET young people from finding work, study shows
Fiona Simpson
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Increasing mental health issues and low self esteem among young people who are out of work are key barriers to entering employment, new research finds.
A report by the Learning and Work Institute and The Prince’s Trust finds that the proportion of out of work young people reporting a mental health problem has increased from 11 per cent in 2011 to almost a third in 2022.
Meanwhile, almost half of young people without a job said they have additional mental health issues or caring responsibilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic which meant they were out of work.
The study is based on new labour market data analysis and a Kantar survey with young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) aged 16 - 24.
It adds that almost four in 10 young people said that the main reason they couldn’t find work was due to a mental health problem or disability.
A quarter of young people polled said that applying for lots of jobs without success was stopping them from securing work while more than a fifth said low confidence was a key factor.
Researchers say that the findings suggest almost half a million NEET young people could get into work if they were given the right support.
The report states: “Support with social and emotional barriers is one of the key areas of support identified by young people to help them reach their career aspirations, including help with building confidence and support with mental health problems or disabilities.
“Ongoing support with mental health issues was also considered to be important in helping young people to keep and succeed in a job once they were employed.”
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that there are an estimated 1.3m job vacancies in the UK.
Jonathan Townsend, UK chief executive of The Prince’s Trust said: “It is deeply troubling to see young people who struggle with mental health conditions and low self-esteem, still feeling locked out of the labour market. By building confidence, skills and supporting young people into work, we can improve their quality of life and boost our economy.”
Stephen Evans, chief executive at Learning and Work Institute added: “With record vacancies, we need to tackle the issues uncovered by our new research to boost growth, improve our public finances, and help every young person reach their full potential.
“We continue to call on the government to work with partners to support all young people to access a job, apprenticeship, or a high-quality training opportunity.”
