> Most young Neets are men, accounting for 550,000 of the 946,000 total. The number of young men not in work or education has jumped by 40pc since the eve of the Covid lockdowns. Among women, the rate has risen by only 7pc over the same period to 397,000.
Well this is certainly not concerning.
Royal_Project8927 on
So…. Do we blame the job market or do we blame the under-25s for being lazy? Depends on which paper you read I guess 🧐
MousseCareless3199 on
We need to stop this culture of diagnosing everyone with a mental health disorder: just because you find it hard to get out of bed in the morning and don’t want to go to work, doesn’t mean you’re clinically depressed.
Life is hard for everyone and noping out at the first sign of difficulty is a cop-out.
IlluminatedCookie on
I feel this isn’t surprising. It certainly feels like so many people aren’t employed these days and are on benefits.
Small sample size I know but from my social circle of 7 (lol) only 2 of us inc me, actually work. The rest are on pip benefits or whatever it’s called. Got autism, got adhd, “I’m an unpaid carer for a mum that doesn’t really need it other than help getting into/out of bed so I’ll stay home and claim pip while playing computer games all day. “ sometimes it feel s like I’m the only one working, paying bus fare, paying for medication, and yet when I lost my job last year due to redundancy, got nothing other than 60 quid a week JsA and told get a job in 6 month or we cut it. Meanwhile my pals all got ps5 Xbox fridge, iPhone omega, cod modern Ukraine, and haven’t worked a day in their life in some cases all because they’re autistic and get anxious outside. Anyway rant over. Just this sorts thing annoys me. Especially when people who do need it or fall on tough times get nothing. Like my dad’s just had a stroke and can’t work. Is only entitled to SSP according to the gov. Jeez thanks.
Copacacapybarargh on
Given the male suicide rate is higher than women I wonder if depression could be a factor in it. Even if someone isn’t claiming sickness benefits it’s going to affect their motivation, organization etc.
Standard-Zone7852 on
More than enough litter to be picked, weeds to be weeded, things to be painted and lonely people to speak to. I’m sure a lot will soon find jobs all of a sudden.
GayWolfey on
When we look at our son and his friends. If they are typical then this country is fucked. Totally fucked
Dissidant on
I’ll be honest, I’m surprised its not alot higher than that
Its clearly not a good thing but people have to appreciate just how much volatile the job market is for young people compared to when some of us entered it. And this is before even factoring in the market changes post-pandemic
Like late 90’s there was still enough business about if you were fortunate enough to live local enough to industrial estate/business park you could literally pop over/speak to the security people and grab application forms or better yet just phone and ask.
Plus if you were tech savvy we had that whole dot com boom bust for a decent part time/side hustle if you knew what you were doing
Pretty much what I did, started working while going to college.. I was kinda used to the idea by that point though as I did some weekend work through out secondary and sometimes boot sales with a relative (collectables) so I knew how to make money.. no “bank of Mum and Dad” to fall back on
They need to stop this revolving door of free/unpaid “voluntary” work schemes already, and start paying people on them a min wage.
Flat_Development6659 on
I’m surprised nobody has pointed this out but a lot of those “unemployed” will be working to some extent.
The only lad I know who’s purely on benefits is one of my mates who’s a recovering alcoholic. One of my best mates does some decorating, a family member is a shoplifter, got a few mates who’ve setup grows or sold gear, my other halfs brother does paving and landscaping. Up until a few years ago I knew tonnes of people who got rid of bent notes though it seems a lot harder to get the new ones.
I’d imagine a reasonable percentage of “unemployed” aren’t just sat on their arses all day. Although I don’t agree with benefit fraud and know it’s rampant when you compare the lifestyle between minimum wage and benefits + a bit of cash in hand I can’t really blame them.
I think this would explain the discrepancy of unemployment between men and women too. Realistically a lot of cash in hand stuff is easier for men to get into. To fix this you need to make it harder for people to sign on and improve the lifestyle of minimum wage earners imo, if working life isn’t much better than not working then some people are obviously going to go for the latter.
much_good on
It’s a breakdown of the social contract. The story we were told is, do well at school, goto uni and study and get a good job out of that, or work after school/do apprenticeships. For a lot of people this is either hard to find work or economically unfeasible to study for 3-5 years relying on part time work.
And if you do do all this, job pay is ass, it’s largely for alienated parts of the service economy that gives no real purpose. If people want to wonder why gangs, far right etc etc recruit so well it’s because of the community and meaning they give people.
If you do not see the economic reasons behind it all and treat them, pearl clutching about culture only acts as a smokescreen to the real injustice. Some of it is a choice, but improve the material conditions surrounding people and it’s a lot easier to choose the socially “good” option
Delicious-Tree-6725 on
But where are these, does anybody know where a breakdown of locations are for these people?
iswearuwerethere on
I know at least three people in their 20s who don’t have a job because of anxiety. One even got a free car because of it
andymaclean19 on
I wonder how many of these Neets are actually on any benefits? Many 18-24 year olds will be able to move in with their parents and live rent free if required, meaning they don’t need to claim anything at all. In that scenario they might not want to take a terrible minimum wage job and might hold out for some sort of career opportunity even though those are hard to come by just now.
funfuse1976 on
Only a suggestion but could we look at the crown estates &. Duchies along with 1m under 25s out of work?
CurtisInCamden on
The economy is forever cyclical. A lot of millennials also graduated in hard times post 2008, as did a lot of Gen X’ers (early 90s) and baby boomers (early & late 1970s).
In a few years time the economy will boom again, but then in a decade or 15 years time, today’s children will also face a tough post-graduation job market. Same for young adults not even born yet!
Ok_Satisfaction_5858 on
I have a younger brother in this position. He has spent the last few years applying for multiple jobs every week and never hears back. Everything you can think of from Amazon warehouse jobs to car detailing and manual work Including working on farms. Last one he applied for was a trainee farrier (putting shoes on horses etc). He went to an interview and was told he would need to have a qualification that required a four year apprenticeship. All for a position where he would still be a trainee. Whats the point in being a trainee if you’ve just done a four year course in order to qualify for the role?
The fact is that Companies don’t want to train anyone. They don’t want to have to actually invest in their employees. The entitlement of recruiters and employers nowadays is honestly beyond belief
That’s the issue.
Getting children to decide at 16 what their qualifications for work will be is ridiculous.There is no way to retrain if your qualifications aren’t getting you anywhere or if you change your mind or if the job market shifts because if technological advencement, without spending thousands and whilst working . Perhaps when AI starts taking jobs en Masse the government will listen. There needs to be a way for adults to retrain without having to spend thousands and quit a job because the only way to get even a btec is spend three years in full time education. The number of part time or evening courses available and the subjects they are in is an absolute joke.
Sectors that have demand like the housebuilding trades, healthcare, logistics etc should have government funded training outside of work hours. Post lockdown I struggled to find work in the field I had worked In For over a decade and I decided that I wanted to train in a trade to have a fallback. The only way I could do that is to pay for the BTEC at my local college myself, Which I couldn’t afford because I had been laid off, and id have to have no job for three more years in order to attend full time college. Impossible in your thirties. I’m also not convinced in the slightest that it would take three years of full time education for me to learn the basics of plastering.
I think any company that asks for a degree or professional qualification for a role should by law be required to offer equivalent professional training to that level to any existing member of staff. Then they would be faced with either paying extortionate education fees or reassessing whether or not they actually need a degree for that position or could they just provide on the job training themselves. It would also give the hope of progression to every employee regardless of position.
I genuinely believe that if adults could retrain either for free or with seriously subsidised and deferred fees, people would be generally happier across the board and would be better employees. If you were in your thirties and had the chance to be able to leave a job you hate where you’re unproductive and get no job satisfaction, and train to take the job you actually would love, people would absolutely do it in droves. It gives people hope that they can improve their lives instead of feeling completely stuck for life because they picked the wrong qualification when they were legally still a child.
Parah_Dise on
I feel like the statistic isnt really right tbh
So i work on contract as a ‘builder’. Essentially i go to a job, can be fired or quit whenever.
Sometimes i can be looking for weeks, if not months. MONTHS. For work. Even work thats unskilled and you hear about companies crying out for people.
Ive lots of qualifications, a degree and certs. But cant move into a career based job.
Im not someone whos claimed benefits in my life, but hearing stories about friends, and friends of friends who make more than i do in a week by doing nothing kinda makes me rethink if working is worth it
Iamthe0c3an2 on
And these million men are just ripe for the right wing grifters to prey on. Society has failed men, which leads them down to the right wing pipeline, no one seems to want to do anything about it.
lonesome_okapi_314 on
I was sold the idea of working hard at school, get decent GCSEs, then A-levels therefore you’ll go to a good uni. Did the degree I grew up LOVING. First class undergraduate degree, solid MSc.
I cannot get a job. My very successful partner and I cant build a life, as my work life means I’m away 95% of the time, whilst earning minimum wage in the hospo industry.
The decline of society really accelerated after they murdered harambe
theredvip3r on
I’m currently in that range, uni has fucked me this year so I’m not enrolled, a grand in my overdraft and unless I find something in the next week won’t be able to afford my rent next month.
It’s absolutely impossible to find even the most basic work, at least on any hours over 10
I’m stressed beyond belief but I’m absolutely fucked
Oh and I can’t claim anything because there’s a chance the uni will allow me to take some exams January not in attendance but that’s too much for the government so they consider me not eligible
thebeesknees270 on
I kinda get it, what’s the point anymore when half your wages are taken to pay for never ending boomer healthcare and pensions or to house fake asylum seekers and the other half gets no way near being able to save for a house or do anything fun. Rotten country.
22 Comments
> Most young Neets are men, accounting for 550,000 of the 946,000 total. The number of young men not in work or education has jumped by 40pc since the eve of the Covid lockdowns. Among women, the rate has risen by only 7pc over the same period to 397,000.
Well this is certainly not concerning.
So…. Do we blame the job market or do we blame the under-25s for being lazy? Depends on which paper you read I guess 🧐
We need to stop this culture of diagnosing everyone with a mental health disorder: just because you find it hard to get out of bed in the morning and don’t want to go to work, doesn’t mean you’re clinically depressed.
Life is hard for everyone and noping out at the first sign of difficulty is a cop-out.
I feel this isn’t surprising. It certainly feels like so many people aren’t employed these days and are on benefits.
Small sample size I know but from my social circle of 7 (lol) only 2 of us inc me, actually work. The rest are on pip benefits or whatever it’s called. Got autism, got adhd, “I’m an unpaid carer for a mum that doesn’t really need it other than help getting into/out of bed so I’ll stay home and claim pip while playing computer games all day. “ sometimes it feel s like I’m the only one working, paying bus fare, paying for medication, and yet when I lost my job last year due to redundancy, got nothing other than 60 quid a week JsA and told get a job in 6 month or we cut it. Meanwhile my pals all got ps5 Xbox fridge, iPhone omega, cod modern Ukraine, and haven’t worked a day in their life in some cases all because they’re autistic and get anxious outside. Anyway rant over. Just this sorts thing annoys me. Especially when people who do need it or fall on tough times get nothing. Like my dad’s just had a stroke and can’t work. Is only entitled to SSP according to the gov. Jeez thanks.
Given the male suicide rate is higher than women I wonder if depression could be a factor in it. Even if someone isn’t claiming sickness benefits it’s going to affect their motivation, organization etc.
More than enough litter to be picked, weeds to be weeded, things to be painted and lonely people to speak to. I’m sure a lot will soon find jobs all of a sudden.
When we look at our son and his friends. If they are typical then this country is fucked. Totally fucked
I’ll be honest, I’m surprised its not alot higher than that
Its clearly not a good thing but people have to appreciate just how much volatile the job market is for young people compared to when some of us entered it. And this is before even factoring in the market changes post-pandemic
Like late 90’s there was still enough business about if you were fortunate enough to live local enough to industrial estate/business park you could literally pop over/speak to the security people and grab application forms or better yet just phone and ask.
Plus if you were tech savvy we had that whole dot com boom bust for a decent part time/side hustle if you knew what you were doing
Pretty much what I did, started working while going to college.. I was kinda used to the idea by that point though as I did some weekend work through out secondary and sometimes boot sales with a relative (collectables) so I knew how to make money.. no “bank of Mum and Dad” to fall back on
They need to stop this revolving door of free/unpaid “voluntary” work schemes already, and start paying people on them a min wage.
I’m surprised nobody has pointed this out but a lot of those “unemployed” will be working to some extent.
The only lad I know who’s purely on benefits is one of my mates who’s a recovering alcoholic. One of my best mates does some decorating, a family member is a shoplifter, got a few mates who’ve setup grows or sold gear, my other halfs brother does paving and landscaping. Up until a few years ago I knew tonnes of people who got rid of bent notes though it seems a lot harder to get the new ones.
I’d imagine a reasonable percentage of “unemployed” aren’t just sat on their arses all day. Although I don’t agree with benefit fraud and know it’s rampant when you compare the lifestyle between minimum wage and benefits + a bit of cash in hand I can’t really blame them.
I think this would explain the discrepancy of unemployment between men and women too. Realistically a lot of cash in hand stuff is easier for men to get into. To fix this you need to make it harder for people to sign on and improve the lifestyle of minimum wage earners imo, if working life isn’t much better than not working then some people are obviously going to go for the latter.
It’s a breakdown of the social contract. The story we were told is, do well at school, goto uni and study and get a good job out of that, or work after school/do apprenticeships. For a lot of people this is either hard to find work or economically unfeasible to study for 3-5 years relying on part time work.
And if you do do all this, job pay is ass, it’s largely for alienated parts of the service economy that gives no real purpose. If people want to wonder why gangs, far right etc etc recruit so well it’s because of the community and meaning they give people.
If you do not see the economic reasons behind it all and treat them, pearl clutching about culture only acts as a smokescreen to the real injustice. Some of it is a choice, but improve the material conditions surrounding people and it’s a lot easier to choose the socially “good” option
But where are these, does anybody know where a breakdown of locations are for these people?
I know at least three people in their 20s who don’t have a job because of anxiety. One even got a free car because of it
I wonder how many of these Neets are actually on any benefits? Many 18-24 year olds will be able to move in with their parents and live rent free if required, meaning they don’t need to claim anything at all. In that scenario they might not want to take a terrible minimum wage job and might hold out for some sort of career opportunity even though those are hard to come by just now.
Only a suggestion but could we look at the crown estates &. Duchies along with 1m under 25s out of work?
The economy is forever cyclical. A lot of millennials also graduated in hard times post 2008, as did a lot of Gen X’ers (early 90s) and baby boomers (early & late 1970s).
In a few years time the economy will boom again, but then in a decade or 15 years time, today’s children will also face a tough post-graduation job market. Same for young adults not even born yet!
I have a younger brother in this position. He has spent the last few years applying for multiple jobs every week and never hears back. Everything you can think of from Amazon warehouse jobs to car detailing and manual work Including working on farms. Last one he applied for was a trainee farrier (putting shoes on horses etc). He went to an interview and was told he would need to have a qualification that required a four year apprenticeship. All for a position where he would still be a trainee. Whats the point in being a trainee if you’ve just done a four year course in order to qualify for the role?
The fact is that Companies don’t want to train anyone. They don’t want to have to actually invest in their employees. The entitlement of recruiters and employers nowadays is honestly beyond belief
That’s the issue.
Getting children to decide at 16 what their qualifications for work will be is ridiculous.There is no way to retrain if your qualifications aren’t getting you anywhere or if you change your mind or if the job market shifts because if technological advencement, without spending thousands and whilst working . Perhaps when AI starts taking jobs en Masse the government will listen. There needs to be a way for adults to retrain without having to spend thousands and quit a job because the only way to get even a btec is spend three years in full time education. The number of part time or evening courses available and the subjects they are in is an absolute joke.
Sectors that have demand like the housebuilding trades, healthcare, logistics etc should have government funded training outside of work hours. Post lockdown I struggled to find work in the field I had worked In For over a decade and I decided that I wanted to train in a trade to have a fallback. The only way I could do that is to pay for the BTEC at my local college myself, Which I couldn’t afford because I had been laid off, and id have to have no job for three more years in order to attend full time college. Impossible in your thirties. I’m also not convinced in the slightest that it would take three years of full time education for me to learn the basics of plastering.
I think any company that asks for a degree or professional qualification for a role should by law be required to offer equivalent professional training to that level to any existing member of staff. Then they would be faced with either paying extortionate education fees or reassessing whether or not they actually need a degree for that position or could they just provide on the job training themselves. It would also give the hope of progression to every employee regardless of position.
I genuinely believe that if adults could retrain either for free or with seriously subsidised and deferred fees, people would be generally happier across the board and would be better employees. If you were in your thirties and had the chance to be able to leave a job you hate where you’re unproductive and get no job satisfaction, and train to take the job you actually would love, people would absolutely do it in droves. It gives people hope that they can improve their lives instead of feeling completely stuck for life because they picked the wrong qualification when they were legally still a child.
I feel like the statistic isnt really right tbh
So i work on contract as a ‘builder’. Essentially i go to a job, can be fired or quit whenever.
Sometimes i can be looking for weeks, if not months. MONTHS. For work. Even work thats unskilled and you hear about companies crying out for people.
Ive lots of qualifications, a degree and certs. But cant move into a career based job.
Im not someone whos claimed benefits in my life, but hearing stories about friends, and friends of friends who make more than i do in a week by doing nothing kinda makes me rethink if working is worth it
And these million men are just ripe for the right wing grifters to prey on. Society has failed men, which leads them down to the right wing pipeline, no one seems to want to do anything about it.
I was sold the idea of working hard at school, get decent GCSEs, then A-levels therefore you’ll go to a good uni. Did the degree I grew up LOVING. First class undergraduate degree, solid MSc.
I cannot get a job. My very successful partner and I cant build a life, as my work life means I’m away 95% of the time, whilst earning minimum wage in the hospo industry.
I’m trained, I’m (relatively) smart, willing, keen, probably personable, yet denied from everything.
The decline of society really accelerated after they murdered harambe
I’m currently in that range, uni has fucked me this year so I’m not enrolled, a grand in my overdraft and unless I find something in the next week won’t be able to afford my rent next month.
It’s absolutely impossible to find even the most basic work, at least on any hours over 10
I’m stressed beyond belief but I’m absolutely fucked
Oh and I can’t claim anything because there’s a chance the uni will allow me to take some exams January not in attendance but that’s too much for the government so they consider me not eligible
I kinda get it, what’s the point anymore when half your wages are taken to pay for never ending boomer healthcare and pensions or to house fake asylum seekers and the other half gets no way near being able to save for a house or do anything fun. Rotten country.