Current youth unemployment 2012?

Hi guys, just wanted to pull some opinions in on the current state of youth unemployment. This is going to be an important thing in my life pretty soon, as I have decided to leave university in search of either an apprenticeship or a full time job.

You always hear a lot of scaremongering about how bleak it is out there. But is it improving?

I am not fussy about the type of work I do, I just need the cash while I am looking for an apprenticeship, and if I don't find a good apprenticeship within the year I am going to use the cash to go travelling.

Have a look at this map. In my area the % claiming jobseekers is 4-8%.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/nov/16/youth-unemployment-map

Feel free to share your experiences of apprenticeships, jobs and graduate positions.

Reply 1

Classical Liberal

Imagine how bad the youth unemployment statistics would be if there were not all these kids 'hiding in education'.

Reply 2

331sam331

Original post by Classical Liberal

Imagine how bad the youth unemployment statistics would be if there were not all these kids 'hiding in education'.

I know, that would be a scary figure :s-smilie:

Plus the kids between 16-18 that live at home for free while looking for work I guess.

Guess I'm screwed.

Reply 3

Martyn*

And all those young people on the Work programme too.

Reply 4

331sam331

At least I am in that age bracket!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17584148

Reply 5

CherryCherryBoomBoom

Well, if you really dislike uni, then yikes, good luck cos I've been trying to get an apprenticeship or job for at least the past 8 months with little luck. I'm even considering trying to get into uni cos I feel there's little else to do right now.

% in my area claiming is 5.3%

Reply 6

No Man

It's interesting to see that there is such a big gap between male claimants and female claimants...

Reply 7

331sam331

Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom

Sorry to hear that :frown:

I think I am going to just learn a trade. It's something that I would be good at and could take quite far as regards to my own business in the future. I should have just figured this out before. When you get all C's at GCSE and the only A* is in Design and Technology you should probably take that as a hint...

The only reason I didn't do it before was because I felt I would be looked down on by people. Silly I know.

At least it won't be forever. Things will start to look up EVENTUALLY... :smile:

Good luck, keep trying, I'm sure you will get there in the end :smile:

Reply 8

CherryCherryBoomBoom

Original post by 331sam331

Sorry to hear that :frown:

Good luck, keep trying, I'm sure you will get there in the end :smile:

Thanks

. What trade in particular are you thinking of doing? Something related to design and technology?

Very good idea it's sounds like you have. I think I'll probably learn a trade or two too :yep:

Reply 9

Llamageddon

underemployment is a huge problem too. Unpaid internships are another type of unemployment that won't typically show up on claimant counts.

Reply 10

331sam331

Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom

Thanks

. What trade in particular are you thinking of doing? Something related to design and technology?

Very good idea it's sounds like you have. I think I'll probably learn a trade or two too :yep:

I'm not entirely sure tbh :s-smilie:

I think I am going to have to get some work experience to find what I like. I can't afford to mess up this time. For christ sake, I'm nearly 20. If I had just gotten into a trade when I left school I would probably be on good money now, instead I'm pulling my hair out during a recession.

Oh well, you live and learn ay.

Yea why not, it sure beats having no direction at all. The amount of sleepless nights I have had just trying to think what could do, I have lost count :frown:

Shame it's not like the 60's and 70's. Young people like my mum and dad could just walk into jobs. You could bounce from one job to another until you found something you were enjoying.

Just comes down to population in the end. We have pretty much the same population as France, but we are a tiny little island bursting at the seams.

Reply 11

331sam331

Original post by Llamageddon

underemployment is a huge problem too. Unpaid internships are another type of unemployment that won't typically show up on claimant counts.

Yea it's much worse than those figures suggest, and the figures for claimants alone are pretty bad anway :s-smilie:

I'm trying not to think about it too much, just makes me depressed... :frown:

Reply 12

lonelyknight

Original post by 331sam331

I'm not entirely sure tbh :s-smilie:

That's all true, my mum (in her 50s and left school at 15) just sent letters to the places she wanted to work and in nearly every case they got back to her asking her to come for a job interview, or even start working straight away :frown:

. You're completely right, I think it's the population size that's the problem. But how on earth can we solve it?

I'm 17 now and i'm not going to university by choice. It's just not for me. So I really wish you all the best in finding a trade, or whatever you're going to do.

Reply 13

331sam331

Original post by lonelyknight

Mass culling? LOL

Well done for having the courage to realize uni isn't for you. It's often better to go with your gut, because the conflicting advice about whether to go to uni or not is so damn varied and confusing. The way I am looking at it is "what can I do with these three years instead that will be worth while".

Are you in the middle of A levels?

University of very hard knocks here I come!! :s-smilie:

Reply 14

sorafdfs

Original post by lonelyknight

The irony is that young people tend to be the ones highly in favour of open door immgiration, pushing up minimum wages and most other things that will have a negative impact on employment rates especially for the unskilled and inexperienced.

Reply 15

lonelyknight

Original post by 331sam331

Lol! Thanks =) It was an easy decision for me to make, but i've had to defend myself LOTS of times to people at school. Its very annoying that everytime I tell someone I'm not going, they act like i've just given my life up. Encouraging =/
Yes I'm doing AS :biggrin:

Haha XD

Reply 16

nonotrly

I think there's always a job available for what I called the lower-rung jobs (or bottom-of-the-barrel). Co-op, KFC, hotel cleaning - the jobs with high staff turnover, that has a new manager every few months, where no-one in a management role does their job, and passes the buck. An insane amount of unprofessionalism that baffles the mind. You know.

So it's a choice between doing a depressing job, or being unemployed and going for jobs that are hard to get it, but not being depressed.

Life isn't about money, being in love, having a family and all that. It's about being happy, so you gotta do what will make you happy, and not wanting to kill yourself obviously...

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 17

associativememory

I'd rather be unemployed than working in a monotonous job - those jobs can be taken over by automation and machines anyway.

Humans are much more capable that working in any customer servicing role.