Young people fear cost-of-living crisis restricts employment opportunities
Emily Harle
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Three quarters of young people are concerned about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on their ability to get a secure job now and in the future, new research from charity UK Youth shows.
Parents also expressed concerns about the impact of the financial crisis on young people’s job prospects, with more than a third saying it is likely to restrict employment opportunities.
The data, collected by research company Censuswide, also shows that more than a third of young people had to reduce their social life to save money, and one in five say their access to regular meals has been affected.
More than half add that their mental health had been negatively affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
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The research reveals that the majority of young people and parents believe the government is not doing enough to support young people during the cost-of-living crisis.
Three in 10 young people said they believe better or increased access to youth work would improve their employment, and half of young people said it would benefit their mental health.
UK Youth has urged the government, alongside local authorities, businesses and community funders, to guarantee quality youth work provision for all.
Ndidi Okezie, chief executive of UK Youth, said: “There is overwhelming public support for greater investment into young people. Funding to ensure quality youth services are accessible in all local areas is an untapped way to do that.
"Giving our young people what they need to navigate these challenging times is not just the right moral choice – it’s the sound economic decision for our country.”
Carly Elwell, the chair of a West Midlands youth organisation Ourside, said that the costs of running the organisation had increased across the board, adding: “More and more young people are in need of our services, with many turning up hungry, meaning we’re now providing hot meals at each session. We have also seen an increase in the amount of young people with mental health issues – we’re doing our best to offer more one-to-one support but without more funding we cannot meet those demands.”
