One in three youngsters long-term unemployed
One in three youngsters long-term unemployed
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By Richard James. |  |
Tuesday, 13, Oct 2009 12:30
By Richard James.
One in three unemployed people between the ages of 16 and 24 have now been out of work for more than six months, new figures show.
The current employment climate for young people is now at a 15-year low, the TUC said after analysing government statistics.
There are now 366,000 young people who have been unemployed for more than six months. With official jobless figures out on Wednesday, the TUC warns there could be yet another sharp increase in youth unemployment.
Those in the West Midlands appear to have been hardest hit by the current recession, with youth unemployment increasing more than twice as fast as the UK average.
The region has the highest youth unemployment rate at 26.7 per cent, followed by the North East (22.2 per cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber (21.2 per cent).
The TUC has backed the government's Future Jobs Fund scheme for any young person who has been out of work for at least ten months, but warns there are only 100,000 places and therefore will be oversubscribed meaning not all long-term unemployed youngsters will be able to take up a place
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Youth unemployment was a concern for the TUC before the recession started, but over the last year the numbers unable to find work have rocketed.
"It's clear that young people are among those bearing the brunt of the recession and rising unemployment. One in five of the UK's young population is currently out of work, and more than 360,000 young people have already spent more than six months on the dole.
"This is a crisis for our young people. Prolonged periods of joblessness permanently damage careers and without continued government investment we risk losing this generation, who are vital to our future labour market performance."
He also warned cutting the Future Jobs Fund would be a "disaster".